


Something New

by MoonlitMidnight



Series: His Dark Materials 'verse [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - His Dark Materials Fusion, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Childhood Trauma, Daemon Touching, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-06-29 18:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19836118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitMidnight/pseuds/MoonlitMidnight
Summary: A modern Alternate Universe in which Dæmons (the external physical manifestation of a person's 'inner self' that takes the form of an animal) are present. In which Emma and Regina have led slightly different lives and they make slightly different choices.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! I'm so excited to share this one. I've been meaning to post a Dæmon work for so long but never found the right plot. I hope you like this one. Just so you know, I'll be posting this one a week along with another fic. This fic will be posted Tuesdays and the other one (a sequel to my very first work) will be posted on Fridays.
> 
> (I messed up the posting for both these fics because I forgot how this site worked so I'm sorry lol)

Emma pulled into the driveway of the large house hesitantly. She didn’t want to be there. Not really. If it hadn’t been for the child inside she’d have long since left the place. It was too much. Too rich if that made any sense. She’d grown up hating places like these—watching from a distance, with a resentful glare aimed right at their white picket fences and immaculate outsides and painstakingly manicured lawns. She would have egged this house for sure.

But she couldn’t egg this house because it belonged to her son. The son who contacted her not three days prior through an email address she hadn’t used in years but checked on a whim that fateful day.

Ten years ago Emma gave birth to a son. A child with her eyes and Neal’s nose. A child she both loved and hated. Both wanted and felt desperate to give away. In the end she made the right choice. Giving him away. She couldn’t have cared for him. Not in the way he needed. And once the grief had settled like dust over her life, she let herself think of him and let herself dream that one day they’d meet and she’d get to know the boy—whoever he was (she only prayed he ended up better off than her. A foster child for all her life who got pregnant by an older man at 18 and dumped in prison for pawning a stolen watch.)

He told her in a very long email about how he’d found her through a project he was doing at school. Some family tree project that required him to give DNA for. He knew he had been adopted—his mother, Regina, made sure to let him know from the moment she deemed him old enough—but he never thought to seek out his biological parents until now. To Emma’s intense relief he hadn’t thought to find Neal, only her. 

And here she was. On the lawn of her child’s home, procrastinating behind the wheel of her car and ignoring Dodger’s plaintive whines behind her. He turned around and kicked at the back seat with his hind legs. 

Emma twisted to glare at him. “Stop being impatient!” She snapped 

“ _I’m not being impatient. I’ve been patient. You’re just procrastinating!_ ” He complained. He let out another drawn out whine. 

“I won’t dispute that, but you kicking my seat isn’t have the desired effect you think it will. It’s only making me want to stay here longer because if _my_ own dæmon is a little shit I can’t imagine what my kid and _his_ dæmon are gonna be like!”

“ _Don’t be a dumbass Emma. We share an inner dialogue. I know you’re just using humor as a defense mechanism like you always do. But as your Dæmon it’s my job to help you make right decision—”_

“Nobody said that—

_“—Therefore I think it nothing but an occupational hazard to shit in your backseat.”_

Emma gasped and spun around to stare at him. “You wouldn’t!” She knew he would. He was her other half after all, and if Emma was anything—she was a little shit. Which meant so was he. 

Dodger stared back at her. His big brown eyes glaring at her and his body crouched in the position that could only mean one thing. _“I would if it means you move your ass. There’s no point in procrastinating anymore Em. He’s right there. Just follow your gut and go to him.”_

He was right. She knew that, although she’d be damned if she admitted it to him. She didn’t like when he was right.

“Fine.” Emma conceded. She dropped her head back onto the headrest and gripped her steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white.

_“Good girl.”_ He snarked.

“Don’t good girl me.” Emma snapped, though her tone was less harsh than before.

She slammed the door when she got out. It was childish of her to do that—she knew—but she couldn’t help it. Acting out was what Emma did when she was afraid. And afraid she was. She was about to meet the child she gave birth to ten years ago.

“How do I look?” Emma asked as she opened the back door for Dodger.

He paused as he stepped onto the driveway, then gave her a brief once over. _“Good enough.”_

Emma snorted and pushed at Dodger with her thigh. He was bigger than the average dog Dæmon but not by much. Once upon a time, he had been more beautiful than the average retriever—a shiny gold coat that beamed in the sunlight, big bright brown eyes full of mischief and wonder— but the years had taken a toll on him. He was still beautiful with his yellow blonde fur the same shade of blonde as hers, and now dulled eyes. But he had scars on his torso and ears, all indicative of the life they’d led. Still, he was a killer with the bitches.

Emma took a deep breath, then knocked on the door three times. Before long a woman stood at the door, her blood red painted lips pulled into a frown, her Dæmon perched behind her cleaning himself—giving off an unaffected air.

“Are you Emma Swan?” She asked. Her voice was lower than Emma’d expected. And if she thought about it, Regina looked completely different than she’d imagined. Henry hadn’t mentioned her in much detail but the little he had said conjured a different image than the woman Emma stood before. She thought she’d meet some chestnut haired lanky blue eyed woman who made homemade oatmeal cookies that looked too much like chocolate chip and knitted her children sweaters in the fall for the winter.

The woman before her was so totally far removed from that. She was petite. Coffee brown hair fell just above her shoulders, dusting the straps of her fitted grey dress. She was pristine. With her too straight posture and impeccable fashion sense there was an air of regality about her that was undeniable. The same went for her Dæmon.

He was a marvel. Emma had never seen an exotic dæmon up close before. In this day and age—most average people had dæmons in the vain of everyday animals. Cats, dogs, birds and the like. But on occasion, there would be some person with a Dæmon plucked straight from the plains of Africa, or Asia or Europe. There weren’t many of those people left, and in that small number only a few had Dæmons so majestic.

=His coat was a sleek black color, the faintest hints of spots lay beneath it when his muscly body moved just right under the light. When Dodger peeked his nose further into the mansion unconsciously to get a better look, he looked up—piercing gold eyes unyielding and unflinching—and growled a low growl. Dodger backed away, his tail between his legs and his ears pushed to his head.

“Uh, Yes ma’am I am. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you’re Regina Mills?”

“Ms. Mills if you will. Come in. Henry’s waiting for you.”

Henry sat at the dinner table, his feet swinging excitedly and his Dæmon pacing back and forth in front of him in the form of a ferret.

“Henry,” Regina called out. Both Dæmon and child froze. “Dæmon’s stay off the table. You both know better.”

“Ok mom.” The little thing slipped up his arm and onto his shoulder, where she seemed to disappear in the form of a large, furry spider just under his collar.

“Your guest has arrived. Do say Hello dear.”

He spun around—the bright light of excitement in his eyes misted Emma’s own eyes. No one had ever been so excited to see her—and looked up at the blonde. They locked eyes—both the same shade of deep emerald green. Henry stood slowly, clearly swallowing down his excitement and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Emma.”

—————-

The dinner was a success. Although Regina and her Dæmon (Caliban. Henry referred to him by name more than once and each time the creature would almost hum in delight from hearing his name on Henry’s lip) were tense the entire evening. Caliban left more than once and returned only to brood at Regina’s feet. Regina was more polite of course and remained civil and conversational until it was time to put Henry to bed. After he insisted on Emma reading him a chapter of Prisoner of Azkaban, the blonde and her Dæmon left the room after kissing both the boy and in Dodger’s case his Dæmon goodnight. She'd curled up at Henry’s side in the form of a Jack Russel terrier. Regina waited outside and beckoned them both to her study. She shut the door with a loud click behind them.

“You know,” She began “I was hesitant about this.” She went to her liquor cart while Caliban led them to the small sitting area. Dodger and Emma shared a red velvet loveseat. The retriever placed his head on Emma’s knee and tried to hold back a whine of fear.

Regina and Caliban had a way of charging the air around them with an impenetrable energy. Throughout the entire dinner, they’d barely moved or said anything. Only observed with a mask of indifference and occasionally excitement if Henry looked.

Since her youth Emma had always had a way of deciphering people and their intentions from their first meetings. She could tell when people lied, when they were hiding something. But when she searched Regina, she could feel nothing.

It unsettled them both.

The last time someone had been so unreadable, they’d let her pawn a watch they knew was stolen so they could escape the state.

Regina came to them and placed a glass of something down before Emma.

“When Henry told me he found you I was very reluctant to let him have any contact with you so early in his life. He’s known of you—as you know—but we hadn’t discussed the possibility of you two meeting before he learned of his project. I must confess though, you surpassed my expectations.”

Emma choked on the drink (it was apple cider. Deliciously bitter with a kick that burned a hole in her sternum).

“Excuse me?”

Regina smirked. “You heard me Miss Swan. You surpassed my expectations this evening. I only knew the information Henry learned from his test and what I’d already known from the adoption. Last I heard you were in prison and then suddenly my son is trying to get you here for dinner.”

“What made you reconsider?”

“A friend of mine. I confessed to her what was going on and she shared her opinions. They validated the feelings I was already having.”

The grandfather clock dinged behind them. Its song echoed through the spacious study. Regina looked down at her dainty wristwatch. “Dear gods, it’s eleven o’clock. I apologize for abruptness of this but I must insist. I have to get up for work in the morning.”

Emma understood and she tried to force down the disappointment and stinging cold jolts of fear that went through her body as Regina collected her empty glass and Caliban sauntered off towards the entrance.

“Can this happen again? I mean—I don’t mean to sound desperate, but I am. He’s an amazing kid as you most likely know since you raised him. And I…I just want to get to know him. I know this is a lot to ask but please. I’ll do anything.”

Regina raised her perfect eyebrow and even Caliban stopped in his tracks. They both looked at Emma with curiosity.

“You should not make promises you can’t keep.” Regina stated.

“I’m not.” Emma replied fiercely.

Regina considered for a moment then spoke clearly and concisely. “Henry needs stability. He needs to know he can count on you to be there. We need to build trust between the two of us of course, and between you and Henry. I make no promises about where this will go, but we can try something small first. The most important thing is setting ground rules now. If you fail to follow them at any time, this will go nowhere.”

“I understand. I’m down—tell me the rules.” Rules she could handle. As long as she knew them inside and out, she could follow rules to the T.

Regina chuckled darkly. “I’ll have you know Miss Swan I am known for being quite demanding. I’ll give you a warning now. If you can’t handle me being a bitch and being strict on these rules we won’t even entertain this.” Emma said nothing, so with a short nod Regina continued. “To start, you may visit for holidays and weekends. You may message under my supervision to start after school and every night. That’s it. Be sure Miss Swan, that you truly are in this for the long haul. Don’t be flighty. Henry doesn’t deserve it.”

“I want to be in his life as often as I can be. I’m not tied to Boston honestly. I’ve been looking for a change.”

Regina’s eyes widened. “That’s moving a bit too fast I think. Henry has only just met you.” Caliban moved to rub himself against Regina’s leg and look up at her with some secret stare. Regina nodded slightly and turned her attention back to Emma. “Let’s do this. A trial period. For the next month you come over for dinner every Saturday. You can have time to talk to Henry before he goes to school and after in addition to what I said earlier. If all goes well we can discuss you moving at a later date. Sound good?”

Emma nodded through the shock and Dodger’s tail wagged fiercely. That sounded nice actually. She was getting a bit ahead of herself she knew, both her excitement and Dodger’s were clouding her better judgment. Regina was right. They could talk about this on another date.

“Wonderful. Now, ground rules. No cursing around Henry, no inappropriate talk and no taking him anywhere without my permission. Reasonable enough I assume.”

“More than reasonable.”

“ _Way more —like really fucking reasonable._ ” Dodger silently said. Emma nudged him with her hip and forced herself not to chuckle. Giddiness filled her belly.

They shook hands and shortly after, Emma was off to an inn Regina recommended for a good night’s rest before she left in the morning. It felt like a dream—everything that she’d seen and heard. And even in her dreams the thoughts of the wonderful dinner she’d had floated through her mind.

She dreamed of Henry’s rambling and his comic book collection, the feel of his little body wrapped around her, blood red lips and dark amber eyes.

——————-

The next morning, Emma woke feeling more rested than she had in years. Dodger was curled around her back, snoring and drooling in her ear as he always did. Emma was the light sleeper between them—always snapping awake at the tiniest sound. But last night, she’d fallen into a pleasantly empty sleep minutes after dropping onto the bed of the inn. She hadn’t felt up to observing much last night—the cider, plus the wonderful dinner had left her halfway comatose by the time she reached the entrance of the little inn—so she sat up now, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. Then looked around. It was quaint. A small room, vintage furniture and faded wallpaper. But it was clean and cozy. And she could smell pancakes from her bed. There was a diner underneath the inn, owned by the same prickly older woman who introduced herself as Granny.

It didn’t take her long to get ready—it never did. After a quick shower, face wash, teeth brushing and a solid two minutes of repeated attempts atwrangling her hair up into a manageable ponytail, Emma and Dodger made their way downstairs. At that particular moment, neither of them were fully functioning—they never were before a cup or two of coffee. Not to mention the emotional day that was yesterday. Her whole body ached something fierce, which honestly could be attributed to either the strong cider she’d consumed, or the residual pain left over from how she’d held her body so rigid the day before.

Today was for sure a day where she’d at least three cups to function like an adult.

As soon as the pair made their way down the stairwell, someone called out. The voice was high and familiar. Full of hope and the seemingly never-ending innocence of youth. Henry. He sat in a booth near the middle of the now busy diner across from Regina. His Dæmon was in the form of a calico cat, curled up under Caliban as he patiently groomed her despite her vocal protests.

“Emma!” Henry continued. “I thought you’d be gone by now! I’m so happy you’re still here. Do you wanna have breakfast with us?”

Caliban ceased his grooming of Henry’s Dæmon as Emma and Dodger carefully came closer. He looked up at Regina, whose back was to Emma, and a silent communication passed between them. The air crackled with their exchange, but Regina refrained from verbally responding—Emma had a habit of doing that. It wasn’t considered impolite nowadays, but back in the day an exchange like that would have earned anyone a few dirty looks.

The brunette’s shoulders were hiked up to her ears, her jaw clenched, but her clear discomfort didn’t hinder her politeness.

“Yes Miss Swan—do come join us.”

Emma almost didn’t. It was clear Regina was in no mood for Emma’s interruption in what was most likely one of the highlights of her day, but when Henry smiled up at her like that—with hopeful eyes and that megawatt smile—Emma couldn’t find it in herself to say no. So she took the seat next to Henry, and watched as Dodger sat himself near her, but a polite distance away from Caliban. Though his distance didn’t stop Henry’d Dæmon from transforming into a little terrier puppy and curling up next to her.

-———

Breakfast was quick. Henry had to get to school, and Regina to work. So, after exchanging phone numbers, Emma was on her way out of Storybrooke. She barely made it to her shift on time, and the entire time she couldn’t keep a dopey grin off her face.

I have a tumblr. Come say hi!: https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short but the ones after will be packed with more plot. Thank you to everyone who commented and gave kudos last week! It makes me so happy to know people are interested in this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

They continued that way for two months.

On weekdays, Emma and Henry would communicate back and forth through email. On the weekend, Emma would come up to Storybrooke for breakfast at Granny’s and dinner at the mansion. Late summer had turned into early fall now and occasionally, they would take walks around the park at night. The walks were nice and dinner was becoming more and more pleasant—but the highlight of Emma's trips to Storybrooke were of course the moments she spent listening to Henry. Through their interactions and many conversations, Emma learned more and more of her son and the young man he was becoming. 

She learned he was absolutely infatuated with Iron Man. That his Dæmon—Aviva—preferred the form of a peregrine falcon over any other. That his favorite food was a spaghetti taco and that his favorite book of all time was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And slowly but surely, she exposed bits and pieces of herself to him. 

It took a lot of effort not to yank the information back before it could make its way out—but Emma managed. 

Under either Regina or Caliban or both’s watchful eye they spent as much time together as they could. All of both Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to playing video games and watching Marvel movies ;but, as the days moved on and their connection grew, Emma couldn’t help but notice the shadow that lingered behind them. After the first month, Regina let them be in the same room together unaccompanied on occasion. When Emma and Henry got settled—usually in the living room—Regina would go into her study to complete paperwork left over from her busy work day. She never explicitly stated that Caliban would be watching but Emma caught his midnight black fur out of the corner of her eye on more than one occasion. 

The problem was that Regina’s study was on the second floor. Which meant he’d ventured on his own down a flight of stairs and all the way into the living room. 

Emma understood. People could be evil. Children were traumatized all the time by people who should have protected them, so the surveillance was both expected and welcome as far as Emma was concerned. But to see Caliban so far away from his counterpart struck a cold type of fear in Emma and Dodger. Both were too polite and cognizant of the fragile nature of their relationship to say anything to Regina though. It took much concentration, but by the end of the second month the nausea mostly went away. 

———-

Two weeks into the third month of their arrangement, Regina messaged Emma on a Monday evening.

Up until that point, Regina had been keeping their interactions something akin to strictly professional. So, it was a surprise to say the least for Emma to see her name pop up over a message that read: _Henry has joined the Storybrooke Scholar’s Club this afternoon, which means he will be busy most Saturday mornings from now on. This could be the perfect opportunity to get to know one another—if you’re interested._

Emma had stared down at it in utter shock. 

She knew that at some point she and Regina would have to interact outside of Henry’s presence. Regina had explicitly said so during their first meeting. But spending serious alone time—as in no-one to buffer Emma’s blatant staring and fumbling around Regina—sped her heart up with excitement and fear. 

Regina was an enigma to say the least. 

In the last three months, Emma had yet to learn anything of substance about the woman outside of her occupation and last name. She and Caliban were ever-present during Emma’s interactions with Henry—but most times the brunette never said a word. Her presence in the house alone siphoned a certain amount of respect and decorum from Emma and Dodger. Her stern silence, coupled with her fearsome glare were enough of a conversation on their own—but never once had she really ever said more than was necessary. 

_“I wonder what she’s like when she’s not in mom mode.”_ Dodger wondered. He sat on the couch beside a frozen Emma. Sprawled out on his back, he let his tongue roll lazily out of mouth as he stared up at the t.v. Reruns of the Golden Girls were on—as they always seemed to be—and Dodger was absolutely infatuated with Dorothy and her vulture Dæmon. 

“Me too. I don’t even know what to expect. Will she be any different than she usually is? Is she just naturally uptight and cold—no—she’s different with Henry. He’s a warm kid. Kind hearted too. He had to have learned that from somewhere. It most certainly wasn’t me or Neal.” 

Both shuddered at _his_ name. 

_“You’re right. It's just—I can’t imagine her being anything but…what we’ve seen. Ya know?”_

“Yeah I know. It’s gonna be weird seeing her smile and shit.” 

_“Weird and potentially life threatening? Your heart will explode if she smiles at you. Your heart already beats like a jackrabbit’s when she’s brooding.”_ Dodger teased with a chuckle. Emma blushed bright red and rolled her eyes just before pushing him off the couch.

Yeah ok—Regina was incredibly attractive. She was a fucking supermodel. And Emma was just an awkward plebeian who couldn’t act like a normal human around her. It was struggle and a half to keep from staring at Regina too long every time they were in the same room. So, the prospect of being alone with her was terrifying. 

Dodger laughed and laughed as she struggled, and eventually she could do nothing but knock him over with the throw pillows. It was late—much too late for Emma to be up if she had any chance of getting up on time the next morning—so, just before collapsing onto her bed, Emma pulled up Regina’s name and replied slowly typed: _That sounds awesome! Can’t wait!_

———

A week came and went in a flash. Before Emma knew it, it was Saturday. By now booking her room at Granny’s was second nature, so it took less than five minutes for the older woman to grab her usual room key—room 136—and put in the order for hot chocolates.

“Actually,” Emma said. “I’ll take two in to-go cups if possible. I’ve gotta be somewhere and I don’t know how to get liquid chocolate out of leather.” 

Granny chuckled and nodded. By the time Emma’s duffle bag was stuffed onto the armchair upstairs and she had changed into something more comfortable but still stylish (a loose fitting grey sweater with tight fitting blue jeans and flat black boots. Simple, but slightly more sophisticated than what she normally wore. Emma had an impression to make after all), the hot chocolate is waiting for Emma on the counter closest to the door. A little note with her name on it with a smiley face sat on the lid of one order. Emma scooped it up on her way out the door. 

Every time she spent time with Henry, that drink was present in some way shape or form. It seemed to appear out of thin air whenever most appropriate. During a Marvel movie marathon, it would show up on the side table right when both Emma and Henry had been discussing how thirsty they were. During a long tournament of Mario kart, Regina would bring a tray and place it beside the pair like she’d read their minds. 

Regina had to have been the one to turn Henry onto it, which meant—hopefully—that Regina liked the stuff enough to warm up to Emma faster. On their way out, Emma could feel the curious eyes of the towns residents on her back, but she said nothing. Even though she didn’t have to say anything. Dodger could feel them too, and he eyed them from the parking space and even the car as they drove away. 

From what Henry told her, no-one came to this town who didn’t have a relative or some other affiliate. And it was an unspoken law in small towns such as this that everyone was hip deep in everyone else’s business. With Regina being the mayor and all, Emma doubted she wanted everyone to know something so personal. People were often times judgmental about things they didn’t understand. Emma knew that too well. So Emma continued to keep her head down and went on her way as fast as she could. 

Henry was on his way out the door when she reached the mansion. With a quick hug and kiss for both his mothers, he climbed onto the bus that had been sent to retrieve him. He waved at them from the window all the way down the street. But the bus turned after a few moments and became obscured by the trees. Then, just like that— for the first time— Regina and Emma were left alone.

Regina didn’t let the silence settle for long. She cleared her throat and looked up at Emma—yes up. She was barefoot for the first time in Emma’s presence, and Emma couldn’t help but notice just how short she was—before speaking. 

“I’ve got everything set up. I thought maybe we could start with chess. Something simple and not too distracting. Do you play?” 

At age 11, one of her nicest foster fathers—Phil—taught Emma to play chess. From then on, she adopted the game as apart of her daily life. The game became apart of her—one of the only memories of her childhood not tainted with fear and uncertainty.

“Yeah—you?” Emma answered with a relieved smile. Chess she could do. Chess was one of her favorites—much to the surprise of everyone who knew her—so she could let her muscle memory take over and focus on not embarrassing herself in front of Regina. 

“Yes. And so does Henry…” Regina hesitated for a moment. She averted her eyes from Emma’s, and focused on Caliban. He tilted his head in encouragement. Regina only finished her sentence, after another of those charged communications passed between her and her Dæmon. Regina cleared her throat. “My father taught him as he taught me.” Emma had to make a conscious effort not to let her mouth drop open. Even that tiny bit of information was like learning Regina's deepest secret. “Before we begin I must grab something from the kitchen. I’ll meet you in the study when I’ve got it.”

Emma nodded. Silently, she and Dodger made their up to the study. 

————

It looked different in the daytime.

Before, it had seemed so dark and imposing. Full of shadows and uncertainty. But now, with the windows wide open, Emma could see why Regina spent so much time in it. The air faintly smelled of balsam and cedar wood. Several dark bookshelves sat around the room, all of them full to the brim with books which appeared from a quick glance to be alphabetized. Regina’s dark mahogany desk sat near the back, in front of a set of large windows. Another smaller desk sat across the room, one small enough to fit a child. 

Emma could imagine it—Henry doing his homework quietly, Regina doing her paperwork to the tune of some sort of classical music. On the wall, sat what looked like a branch in a locked display case. Kind of an odd thing to have on display, but the wood looked beautiful. It was a light grey color, with swirls of black and brown. 

In the corner, in front of another window, sat the chess set. It was gorgeous. Made out of black and white marble, and carved so carefully Emma dreaded touching it. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it.” Emma and Dodger startled at the sound of a sultry voice and turned around to face Regina. Her hands were full with a bowl of what looked like popcorn, and what looked like hot sauce. Caliban ambled in behind his counterpart, holding in his large mouth two bottles of some drink, his eyes trained on Dodger. Amusement filled them. 

“I apologize—I did not mean to startle you.” Regina apologized with a faint smirk. 

“It’s fine.” Emma dismissed. “Do you want some help with that stuff?”

Regina looked down at the items, then back up at Emma. A light blush covered her cheeks. 

“ _No fucking way_.” Dodger practically screamed in Emma’s head. _“She just blushed! How can such a common human function make such a scary lady look so fucking adorable!”_

“I—it’s a tradition, eating popcorn with hot sauce with ginger soda. It’s ridiculous but I got everything out on autopilot, I hope you don’t mind.” She looked up at Emma, her shoulders tense and her eyes guarded—as if she was waiting for a rejection. 

It was silly of her to even consider a rejection though. Emma was never one to turn down good food and good company. 

Emma only smiled and replied. “How about we start off with popcorn and hot chocolate first—then soda for dessert?” 

Regina finally noticed the cups in Emma’s hand and blushed even more.

—————

Eventually, after awkwardly staring at each other and trying to gauge whether or not they should speak—Regina dragged a small table over to the ornate chess set, and placed all of their snacks onto of it. After a few minutes of adjustments and setting up food, the games begun. It was easy to fall into muscle memory. They both had played enough games of chess to know the ins and outs by now and soon the lull of familiarity fell over them. With their Dæmons perched beside them—Caliban truthfully was the only one perched. Dodger was more so splayed. He feigned complete and utter ease for Caliban’s benefit, but he was internally stiff as a board with fear and uncertainty.

Regina cleared her throat. “I must confess Miss Swan, I am very anxious and very unsure about this. Henry loves you and to a certain extent I respect you, but I don’t know how to go about…allowing you to get to know me. I told myself I would begin to let you in for Henry’s sake but—I am very out practice in that department.” Regina admitted quietly. 

Her confession came out of nowhere really, but it caused a flood of relief in Emma’s burning chest. The silence had been growing more and more tense as the game went on, and to hear Regina’s admission—that she too didn’t know how to do this—set Emma’s heart at ease. 

She chuckled. “I’m so glad you said that. I’m not so good at opening up either and I was afraid you’d think that was a sign of me not wanting to be around you.” 

Regina smiled a small smile. “I didn’t think that, but I’m glad we’re at least on the same page, even if that means neither of us know where to go from here.” 

Emma chuckled again. “Maybe we can start with three questions per person. Nothing too personal, just basic starter questions.” 

Regina nodded. “I can deal with that. You can ask me one first.” 

“Ok, what’s your favorite book?” 

“Fahrenheit 451." Regina responded after a moment of contemplation. Emma took her bishop and got a raised eyebrow in return. 

“Your turn.” 

“I know.” Regina responded in the closest thing to a teasing tone Emma had ever heard from her. She moved a knight and in the process took one of Emma’s pawns. “I’m thinking.” 

“What was your first car?” Regina eventually questioned.

“The bug of course—my first and only.” Emma replied

Regina's eyes widened. “You’re serious?” 

“Very serious. Got her when I was 17 and have yet to trade her in. She’s been the most stable thing in my life.” 

Regina shot her a look of surprise, but didn’t comment any further. She moved another of her pawns then looked up at Emma. “Your turn.”

“Alrighty. Lemme think…What's your favorite movie?” Emma asked slowly. 

Regina let out a small laugh. “This is going to sound crazy but… Pan’s Labyrinth.” 

"Really?! Pan’s Labyrinth! I mean—I haven’t even seen the movie because I hate movies with subtitles. Plus, I thought it was a kid’s movie—but I expected you to say something sophisticated or classy like Pulp Fiction or any of the like six movies adults with good taste say are their favorites!” 

“I like Pulp Fiction but… I saw Pan's Labyrinth with Henry when it came out. He fell asleep in the first few minutes but I was captivated.” She blushed again and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I was a big fan of fairytales as a child and my father would tell them to me before I went to sleep. My father's first language was Spanish so he only knew the tales in the language. Seeing those fairytale elements in the language I grew up hearing it in combined with the story itself—it moved me.”

They were silent for a few moments. Emma looked over at Regina—who had hidden her gaze under the guise of moving her knight—and was in awe of the drastic change between this woman and the one Emma was so used to seeing. The old Regina was still there—that guarded look never really left her beautiful face—but her eyes held a softness and vulnerability. Emma was intrigued. 

“I wouldn’t have expected that just from looking at you—I guess that's why they say don’t judge a book by its cover…That’s really interesting but I’m sure you’re done talking about it. You can ask your question now.”

They went on like that—going back and for with questions until they exceeded the three question limit—then continued to play in relative but comfortable silence for the next hour. Henry burst into the door just as Regina won the game. He was still on a high from his day of excitement, but Emma and Regina were more than happy to oblige him and listen as he rambled on and on. Throughout lunch and even through dinner, Emma’s mind lingered on her time with Regina. 

She was excited to get to know more.

[My tumblr ](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a visual person so I like doing aesthetic boards and things like that for some reason. I'm going to attempt to make some on my tumblr for this fic so, if you're interested, come check them out! Also if anyone cares, I 100% think of Chris Evans' voice for Dodger lol. I named the character after the man's own dog so, of course I had to imagine his voice for him. See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters! I love this one so much and I hope you all enjoy it too. Thanks to everyone who showed love on Tumblr the response for the aesthetic board was so much more than I was expecting thank you so much!
> 
> Trigger Warning for Mentions of Self-Harm near the end of the chapter. When you see the words "Regina woke with a gasp." Tread carefully. Stay safe. Thank you for reading!

Another three months passed in peace. Regina and Emma’s fragile partnership of sorts bloomed into the beginnings of a friendship. Any average person would have formed a close bond with a person they saw every weekend, but both women were too cautious (and secretly damaged) to consider moving at anything but a snail’s pace. Emma stayed after dinner often to take a walk around the property with Henry, then play at least one game of chess most nights before heading on her way.

Henry thrived in the Storybrooke Scholars—which Emma learned, after two meetings passed and her confusion grew, that the club was really just a place for the more intelligent students in the classes to explore their interests without peer pressure—Emma was beyond proud of him. He was so wonderful. So absolutely positively perfect that it kept her up at night. The warm ache in her chest would keep her awake for hours, as she replayed her days with him over and over again.

Emma wanted to spend more time with him—even if a voice in the back of her mind hissed at what it perceived to be selfishness. 

She wasn’t his mother. She gave birth to him, but she didn’t soothe his fevers, change his diapers, clean his cuts—Regina had done all of that. And though their relationship was friendly and far from the possible animosity that could have been, Emma was still hesitant to ask for anything. She’d resolved herself to just wait for Regina’s say so. Wait for Regina to give the green light on the next step. 

But what was the next step? They’d never discussed it really, and when they were all together it never seemed like the right time. But six months—half a fucking year—had passed and there had been no progress in terms of privileges. Henry always talked about how much he'd like to see her apartment, and meet the people in her life and see her life in its entirety—not just the snippets her heard from her on weekends. And Emma wanted to give him that. But she was afraid. 

_“Here’s a crazy idea—instead of keeping me up with your endless chatter and contemplation—why don’t you just go fucking_ **talk** _to Regina? I’m sure, after all this time, she’ll be agreeable to letting Henry stay over or letting you stay overnight at the mansion. It’s not like she doesn’t have enough rooms.”_ Dodger growled, sitting up from his prone position and glaring at Emma.

She too was laying on their bed, her hands draped over her stomach and her eyes staring up at the cracked ceiling. 

“I’m sorry bud. I’ll try to keep it down. Go back to sleep.” Was her only response. Dodger sighed. 

_"You can’t honestly expect me to just let this go—especially when you respond like that. Why are you so fixated on this? You know she’s going to say yes. Right?”_

“I don’t know that for sure. What if she doesn’t trust me and says no? I honestly wouldn’t blame her if she did. My track record proves how unreliable I can be.” Emma responded in a quiet voice. It was loud in the silence of the bedroom. 

_“But Henry’s different and you know it. You’ve been so careful with him and with this whole situation. And Regina has seen every effort you've made. You and I both know that she has to say yes after everything.”_

“She doesn’t _have_ to say anything. She’s his mother. Not me. I’m just the fuck up who gave birth to him in jail.” Emma’s eyes stung. 

_"Don’t go there. You’re not a fuck up. You made a bad decision in trusting Neal, but outside of that you’ve done pretty well for us so far. And for Henry as well. You put aside your own feelings and put him up for adoption because you knew it was his best chance. Don’t let one mistake dictate the rest of your life.”_

His words made sense, but Emma couldn’t help but doubt them. So she turned onto her side, her back to him, and pretended not to hear anything else he said that night as her mind raced. 

————

Emma got her wish a week later.

Regina had been getting busier and busier over the past month. Her newfound stress stemmed from a number of work things— burst pipes to unhappy town council members to thieves—and the responsibilities were piling up one on top of the other. She took off the days Emma was scheduled to visit but it was obvious during the visits that she was beyond exhausted. The makeup stopped covering her bags and the way she slumped when she thought Emma and Henry were occupied was recognizable. She had fallen asleep several times during their movies but Caliban was always there. Always aware. Even when he swayed or when it was obvious he was too exhausted to think, he was still there watching. 

Tonight was another of those nights. 

Emma and Henry were awake, cuddled up together on the couch beside a sleeping Regina watching Doctor Strange when Regina’s phone rang suddenly. 

She jumped awake before either of them could think to move. 

“Hello?” She answered. “Yes. Yes. No. Yes. I’ll be there in minute!” She was on her feet in a second and running up the steps, Caliban right behind her in the next. 

“Uh oh.” Henry muttered, the happiness that had been practically vibrating off him dissipating in a second. Aviva whined at his feet and wiggled closer to Dodger, placing her little head on his paw. She was in the form of a Beagle now. Recently, she’d been taking on the form of dogs and it made Emma glow with pride. 

“What?—Do you know what’s going on?” Emma questioned. 

“There’s been an emergency in the town. One serious enough to need Mom’s attention. That either means one of two things—Katherine is coming over to watch me and you most likely have to leave early or, by some miracle, Mom lets you stay and we get to spend the night together.”

Emma didn’t know what to say in response. She didn’t want to go—obviously—but oddly enough she found herself more worried about how Regina would turn out when she left. She had been looking so sick over the past few weeks, and an event like this could probably send her past the point of exhaustion and into a place of a shut down. Emma could return next weekend, or if Regina permitted, next Friday. _That_ would always be there. But Regina's health wouldn’t.

Speaking of which. 

Regina raced down the steps, putting on a gold earring as she raced past the living room and right into the kitchen, Henry and Emma followed her. She was at the Keurig, plugging in some K-cup, her phone held between her shoulder and ear as she talked animatedly to whoever was on the line. 

“No! Tell him to get down there as soon as possible! If he’s not there by the time I get there I swear on my father’s grave I’ll rip his throat out with my bare hands!” Her words had crescendoed from a hurried whisper to a yell. 

“Mom? What’s going on?” Henry asked in a small voice. 

Regina startled, and spun around to look at him with wide eyes. Behind them, Caliban ran down the stairs, Regina’s purse clutched in his mouth. He came to stand beside his counterpart and looked up at her pleadingly. When she didn't move immediately, he made a loud noise of protest and nudged her leg with his head. 

“A few things at once. Most of which I forget at the moment, but I will fill you in once I get done. I must leave now my darling.”

“Are you going to call Katherine?” His voice was sad and resigned. So much so it hurt Emma's heart to hear. 

Regina sighed as well, and took Henry’s face in the palm of her hand. She looked between Emma and Henry then back down at Caliban. They spoke and came to a decision on something. Regina cleared her throat and kissed Henry’s forehead. “No darling. Emma will stay with you—if she’s willing.” 

Both Henry and Emma's faces lit up with joy. Dodger barked his own agreement while his tail wagged so fast it was barely there, and Aviva danced in excitement, her own tail moving at an impossible speed. 

“Of course—nothing would make me happier.” Emma replied. 

Regina smiled, but it was tense. “Wonderful. I have to hurry so let's say our goodnights now.” She opened her arms wide and Henry jumped into them, snuggling into her chest and holding tight. They whispered something Emma couldn’t hear before separating. Regina reached down and placed a kiss on Henry’s cheek before speaking. “Why don’t you go set up the new Mario Kart game you’ve been talking about while Miss Swan walks me out?” 

He smiled and nodded before racing Aviva back into the living room. Regina sent Emma a look that clearly meant ‘follow me’ before walking to the door. When they reached the foyer, Regina stopped in the middle and spun around to look at Emma. She grabbed the blonde’s hands and looked up at her with a vulnerable and slightly wild expression in her dark amber eyes. 

“This may sound silly, but I need you to promise me something—for my sake of mind.” 

“Anything.” Emma responded. 

“Keep him safe. I won't be gone for long hopefully but this is the first time I've left him with anyone I haven’t known for a minimum of ten years. I know you won't harm him, but please—be careful with him and call me the second you have any questions or concerns. Ok?” 

Emma was shocked to silence for a moment. Regina was always so calm and composed. Never once had Emma witnessed even a hair out of place on her perfect head. But this version of her—so frantic and scared—was one Emma never imagined she’d see. Her fear surpassed the usual natural reservations of any mother and so clearly had moved into something close to terror. She was trembling, her eyes were far too wide and so focused Emma wilted under their gaze. The vein on her forehead was bulging. Caliban paced up and down the hallway, his shoulders tense and his ears pricked up to search for anything suspicious.

It was hard to watch. But Regina didn’t let it consume her. She pushed past it and let Emma take care of Henry even if she wasn’t Katherine. 

It was obviously paining her to do this—leave Henry in Emma's care—but Emma could tell it didn’t have much to do with leaving him with _her_ per say, as much as it had to do with leaving him with anyone other than her or someone Regina trusted beyond words. So Emma refused to get offended, but her heart rate did skyrocket as the weight of her responsibility hit her. 

She gave a jerky nod. Then cleared her throat and responded in a quiet voice. 

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe Regina—I swear it.” 

Regina was still stiff as a board after Emma's assurance, but she managed to give Emma a nod before taking her purse from Caliban and heading out the door. Emma waited to hear the startup of a car before heading back into the living room, where Henry waited inside a half made fort. He dragged her inside and begged her to help him finish it. 

————

“You’re worried about her aren’t you?” Henry asked.

The night had gone spectacularly. Everything Emma could have possibly dreamed up and more. Frozen pizzas, Hot chocolates, hours of movies and video games, watching the pure joy on Henry’s face the more time they spent together. 

But underneath the elation, worry flowed like a river. Emma couldn't understand it, but seeing Regina so rattled had made her concerned. They sat on the couch now, winding down from running around the spacious mansion with light sabers and toy Iron Man repulsers. It was almost bed time, and Regina had yet to send a text or phone call. Emma checked in once an hour, giving a summary of their actions and how much fun they were having.

“Yeah kid. I am. Your mom—is she always so protective?”

“Yup. Always had been and most likely always will be…” Henry averted his gaze from Emma’s and stared down at the bowl of popcorn in his lap. He fiddled with the kernels as he spoke in a small voice. 

“She tries not to—she really does—but…when I asked her last time this happened why I couldn’t just stay here by myself for a few hours or go to a friend's house, she said something bad happened to her when she was a kid and that ever since then she's been really suspicious of everybody. When she got me her suspicion got a lot worse and it’s really hard for her to leave me anywhere without freaking out really bad. It makes her sad—I can tell—when I just say no to other kids asking me to sleepover because I don't want to see her upset. She tries to hide it, but I still see.” He sighed and stood up from the couch. 

The mood in the room had noticeably chilled. Emma's worry now bled out and Henry’s all around sadness and concern were an unspoken call for an end. 

“I’m gonna take this to the kitchen then help you get set up to the guest room. Ok?” Henry said. 

Emma nodded.

———

It didn't take long for Emma to get changed and settled into the impeccable guest room. Henry somehow knew where everything she needed was, and he even supplied her things she didn't realize she would need.

“Here. You’re gonna need these.” Henry said as he pulled a pair of ear plugs out from the bedside table. 

Emma looked down, her brow furrowed. Her heart pounding. 

“What exactly are these for?" She asked.

“When Mom’s really tired she sometimes talks in her sleep. It can get pretty loud so she's got a couple pairs of these in my room. If you don’t want to use them you don't have to but—I hope for your own sake you're a heavy sleeper.”

Emma was—in fact—a light sleeper. Dodger on the other hand was a heavy sleeper but Emma was in fact the lightest sleeper that ever slept. So, she took the plugs even if she hated the idea of them and the fact that her son used them regularly. 

“Goodnight Emma. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for doing this— I really appreciate it.” He leaned over and pulled her into a hug. Emma squeezed him. 

“I had fun kid—and it’s my pleasure really. All of this…It’s all been the most amazing experience ever.” Emma confessed with a shy smile. 

He smiled up at her, then plopped a kiss on her cheek. Aviva gave Dodger a kiss as well. Just as he moved to close the guest door behind him, he turned around to look at them.

“If you hear anything don’t come out. Trust me. Caliban is huge, hyper-vigilant and will not hesitate to take you down if Mom can’t.” 

Emma’s eyes widened. She hoped Henry wasn’t offering this advice based off his own experience. “Has Caliban ever…?”

“No—he knows it’s me no matter how bad it gets. But Katherine wasn’t so lucky. He didn't bite her or anything but he scared her so bad she almost peed herself.”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. “Noted. Thanks kid…I—I love you." 

Henry smiled. “I love you too.”

—————

Emma woke what felt like a few minutes later but what was most likely several hours later to the sound of a door slamming. The front door. Then high heeled footsteps, the padding of heavy paws and low conversation. When she came up the stairs the conversation ended and the footsteps went all the way to the back of the hallway—where Regina’s room was. Another closed door. Then silence for a little while. Long enough for Emma to fall back into the limbo space between sleep and awake. She didn’t know how long she stayed like that or when she went from limbo to falling face first into unconsciousness.

At first, she couldn't tell exactly what had done it. Her earplugs were still in—(ok one was)—and Dodger was still asleep next to her, so it couldn't have been him. 

Then she heard it. 

A pitiful cry of pain. The whimper of a Dæmon. 

She was up and out into the hallway before she could fully process where the sound came from. Dodger right on her heels, still half asleep but following her on instinct. 

Emma didn't pay attention to what door she opened, not even the size of the bed or the lack of carefully constructed lego sets in the corner. She was still half asleep but was quickly coming into consciousness as the reality of whose room she burst into set in.

Regina was still asleep, but her dreams were obviously less than peaceful. She lay unnaturally still, sweat rolling down her body, her fists clenched tight against her pillow as she occasionally flinched and cried out.

 _“Where's Caliban?”_ Dodger questioned. 

He was nowhere to be seen and his lack of presence unsettled Emma. He was supposed to be there with Regina, but, maybe he was just under the bed or something. He most certainly could not be the little lump under the covers wriggling around beside Regina. He couldn’t be.

 _“Em…We should leave. I don't think we should be here…Something’s wrong.”_ Emma didn't respond. Not even when he whined as loud as he dared. He backed away from the bed slowly, his eyes never leaving the pair still crying out. 

The air in the room felt…more than wrong. Something in this room was off—unnatural was the best word Emma could find. But the unnaturalness of whatever it was didn't deter her from trying her best to help Regina.

Emma knew far too well just how much torment a dream caused. Knew all too well how endless _those_ type of dreams felt. The dreams that weren’t just dreams—but were memories, _painful_ ** _awful_** _memories_. Ones that should have never have happened. Not a week went by where Emma didn't dream of the day Neal left. And if it wasn’t that particularly awful memory, it was several of the others she'd much rather forget. And each time she wished she had someone to reach out and wake her up.

Emma was most likely projecting her needs onto Regina but she couldn't stand to sit by and either watch or listen as she dwelled in her pain. Whatever it was. So—after pushing aside the sudden nausea and desire to run as fast she could—Emma reached out and in the calmest voice she could manage tried to wake Regina.

Bad idea. Possibly the worst idea she’d ever had. 

Emma hardly got a word out before Caliban was on her, his large and very sharp teeth inches away from her face. Dodger whined and pressed himself against the wall, whimpering and whining in fear. Caliban growled in her face, his gold eyes projecting nothing but pure rage. 

Regina woke up with a loud gasp. She pressed a hand against her heart as she tried to slow down her breathing. She was close to hyperventilating. And whatever was going through her mind to cause such a panic prevented her from noticing the exchange on the floor. She didn't even register Dodger, who was still pressed up against the wall, having moved now from utter terror to a mix between terror and the occasional growl. She reached over to her bedside table and flipped on the lamp. Giving Emma the first true glimpse of the state she was in.

She wore a modest black slip, her hair left loose. Emma should have been more focused on the serious threat of Caliban, but she was more distracted by Regina’s arms. She'd let them fell to her sides as she focused on her breathing and with the light on Emma could see them. 

They would easily be hidden with a long sleeve or heavy concealer. But it was the placement—the implication of them—that really captured Emma's attention.

She had seen many a scar in her day. Both her own and that of the other children in her foster homes. Not to mention the countless criminals she saw on almost the daily. Bad guys always had scars. But none of them had affected her quite like Regina’s. They were obviously very old but they had been deep once upon a time. So deep it was nothing short of a miracle that Regina was even alive. Vertical slits on wrists meant only one thing.

Emma gulped, the minuscule movement triggering another threatening growl from Caliban, which was answered by a smaller warning growl from Dodger. 

The sounds echoed through the room. Regina finally noticed their presence.

She gasped again, and shot up from her bed. 

“Caliban no!” She yelled as she ran towards them, then pulled her Dæmon away from Emma. She kneeled down beside the blonde. “Are you alright Emma?!” Emma nodded. Her concern turned into anger. “What the hell are you doing in here?!” 

“I heard someone in pain and I didn’t think. I just ran to them. I’m sorry Regina. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

The anger deflated from Regina faster than Emma expected. She sank back on her feet and sighed. “You shouldn’t apologize. It's my fault. I should have locked the door before I went to sleep. I was just so tired and—”

Emma gaze had moved unintentionally from Regina's eyes to her arms. Instantly, the brunette sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. A move Emma had seen her do so many times. Then took a robe from her vanity chair. 

“I’m fine now Miss Swan. I’m sorry I disturbed you. You may return to the guest room now—it’s much too early to get up.”

“Regina I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stare—”

“Good night Miss Swan, Dodger. I’m sorry once again. Next time I’ll make sure to take proper precautions to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.” Regina didn't wait for a response. Only slipped her robe on and practically ran to the ensuite bathroom. The second Caliban’s tail was through the door, it was closed tight. 

_“Well…shit!”_ Dodger exclaimed. Emma only groaned in response and let her body fall to the floor with a dramatic thump.

The adrenaline of the situation was gone from Emma now, replaced with a feeling of unease. 

[My Tumblr ](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to be delving deeper into this subject matter! It's not going to be super explicit but it'll be just enough I think. I love Daemon AU's in general and after reading the first book of the series that created the AU, I was really curious to play around with an aspect of the world that doesn't really get explored in the fics I've read. The dark side of Daemons and the ways they can be exploited along with their 'counterparts' for lack of a better term. It's interesting to write and hopefully read. Thank you!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said the last chapter was my favorite...well, it's officially tied with this one. It's super long and has a lot of plot stuff but I love it. I hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Regina was awake and in the kitchen at her usual time. Emma hadn’t slept after retreating to the guest room, and knew for certain Regina hadn't either.

Emma wanted to say something—anything—to Regina about last night. She had so many questions. 

The most prevalent one being: How the hell was Caliban able to do…whatever it was he did? One minute Emma had been fighting off nausea as she’d looked down at what she was now sure was him wriggling in fear under Regina's sheets—ten times smaller than he’d been when he'd left—the next he was in her face, growling and trying to rip her throat out. 

Dæmons settled for most around age 13. Those with what were considered ‘abnormal Dæmons’—Dæmons that were hybrids of some sort or who switched forms well past the settling age—were almost always counterparts to someone who been through something so traumatic their _soul_ was unsettled _. Literally_. It wasn’t uncommon for many soldiers—specifically those who had been sent on those ‘missions’ no-one was allowed to talk about—or children who experienced something traumatic right around their settling age, to have a change. But it usually only happened once. It was incredibly uncommon for a Dæmon to _permanently_ unsettle. 

Which was why Emma stood at the threshold of the kitchen, observing Caliban as he perched himself beside the kitchen island watching Regina as she moved about the kitchen making pancake batter. It was unsettling, just how normal he looked now when just last night, in the space of three minutes Emma saw both him and Regina in a completely different light. 

Regina stopped mixing abruptly and placed the whisk down with a sigh. She tilted her head to acknowledge Emma's presence. 

She cleared her throat before speaking. “Normally, I would sweep what occurred last night under the rug and act as though it never happened to save face—but seeing as you are Henry’s birth mother and someone I would like to consider my friend I can’t do that. Therefore, I will permit you to ask me one question—and _only_ one question. I know you have many.” 

Regina turned around and looked at Emma with a wary gaze as she nervously cleaned her hands on her apron. 

Emma cleared her throat. "You don't have to answer my questions Regina—seriously whatever it is is your business and you don't have to explain anything to me. I shouldn't have pried.” 

Regina sighed again. “If only it were that simple. If you're going to continue to be in Henry’s life—as I know you will—you'll need to be armed with the truth at one point or another. I can get…quite manic unfortunately at times—though I try my best to keep that from Henry. I’d rather you know now or soon then be surprised and blindsided like you were last night. Henry knows the gist, both from the vague things I've told him and the things his brilliant mind has inferred. And you didn't pry. All of this is...well overdue. You need to know. So, ask away. I can only deal with one question today though. I need more time to prepare myself for the others.” Regina's shoulders drooped, and the brunette hung her head in a minute expression of her shame.

“One question is more than enough…Thank you. I know it's gotta be hard. I still haven’t talked about half the shit I went through and saw as a kid so…I get it and I appreciate you not shutting me out.” Emma made her way over to the kitchen island and sat on the stool farthest from Caliban. She wasn’t exactly afraid of him, but she was wary of him in the same way most people were wary of haunted houses and cemeteries. 

“I just…How can…” Emma groaned. She couldn’t pick just one question. Her mind was going a mile a minute. But she managed to narrow it down with a few deep breaths and encouragement from Dodger. “I guess the thing that's concerning me the most or I guess alarming me the most at the moment is Caliban. And you by way of him I guess. He…I saw him last night. He was…He was smaller. Much smaller. Then he wasn't and I could have forgotten about it if I hadn't heard him whimper during the nightmare. He was a cat I think. Like a house cat. How the hell is that possible? Did he…just not settle or?”

Regina leaned back on the counter and took a deep breath. Her arms came to cross over her chest.“I can’t go into detail right now. Not after last night. But in essence…When I was young, shortly after Caliban settled, I was sent to a program wherein a group of individuals —with a mixture of science and pure will—managed to change Caliban from his former form of a black house cat to what you see today. It took a few years to recognize the triggers, but he has the habit of changing back unexpectedly when we’re overwhelmed or exhausted. Last night for example. We don’t let it happen often. Not even here. The people in this town are already suspicious enough of me—I don’t want to give them more of a reason if they were to catch wind of his…ability. ” 

“But…you’re the mayor...Why did they elect you if they didn't trust you?” Emma chose not to comment on any of what Regina had said about her time in the ‘program’, although the thought of such a program sent waves of fear and nausea through the blonde. Dodger nudged her thigh in comfort. 

Regina noticed the absence and let out a quiet relieved sigh before speaking. “Because I was the most fit candidate. At the time it was between me and a man named George Spencer. Just before elections his past criminal activity was exposed and they had no choice but to pick me. If they had had any other option they would have. But they’ve been stuck with me for the past eight years because no-one else in the town has truly stepped up. Most of them either fear me for no reason or hate my guts because of my ‘less than warm personality’ but all of that is besides the point. I’m glad we got that out of the way—it was only half as painful as I anticipated. One day soon I’ll tell you the details—most likely after a few drinks. But today is not that day.” 

Hastily, Regina returned to mixing the batter. After reaching up to grab a few items from the cabinet, she turned to Emma. “Chocolate chip or blueberry?” She asked.

Emma took that as a firm ‘This conversation is very much over' and decided not the question it. For now. So she summoned a shy smile from somewhere and responded. “Why not both?” 

Regina gave her a small smile in return and just as she turned her back to Emma, the blonde swore she saw the glint of relief in Regina’s eyes. 

————

Much later that evening, after a day at the park with Henry and a movie, Emma returned to her apartment. As soon as she plopped onto her bed, her phone went off.

It was a text message from Regina. There was no caption, just several links. Emma pressed one hesitantly—Regina wasn't one to send her much of anything outside of their conversations, so she was sure it wasn't something stupid like porn or link to some video game or something. She was greeted with the home page of an apartment complex in Storybrooke.

Her eyebrows flew to the ceiling. 

“ _She's not exactly subtle is she?”_ Dodger commented. His tone full of awe and exasperation. 

Emma could only manage to shake her head.

———

Emma took her time sifting through the links. Several of the places Regina sent peaked her interest and honestly she wanted to move as soon as possible—she couldn’t wait to see Henry and Regina everyday instead of on the weekends—but she forced herself to be patient and not pick the first place she saw.

Lucky for her, one of the first places on Regina's link list was perfect for Emma. The only apartment building in the town. She wasn’t in a position—financial or otherwise—to start a mortgage or even rent a house. So apartment it was. The building housed a shabby chic-esque style all around—from the intentionally run down aesthetic of the exterior, to the weird flea market chairs in the office of the consultant. It was so obviously geared towards her ‘demographic’. 20 somethings just starting their careers who were looking for a place to start their lives.

And Emma fell for it, even though she still hadn’t found a proper job in Storybrooke.

The meeting went well, and by some miracle the timing of her exit from Boston wold work out perfectly. She was excepted within the week and expected to move in within the month. 

Things were moving fucking fast. Faster and smoother than Emma had expected. 

_"You asked for this.”_ Dodger commented. They were on their way Emma's boss’s office to hand in the two week notice. It was much too early hear his screeching, but it wasn’t like they had a choice. _“You're the one that kept us up all night—wondering when the ‘next step' would come. Now you've got it. Don't chicken out now.”_

“I'm not gonna chicken out." Emma grumbled. She let her head fall back on the head rest. “I just…am excited." 

_“You don't sound excited.”_

“I am! It’s just...moving so fast and I’m _sooo_ happy I won't have to wait much longer to be in Henry’s life more. It’s all just…Going a little too well." 

He gave her the most sympathetic look a dog could muster. _“You're waiting for the other shoe to drop.”_ He finished for her. 

Emma shrugged. “Yeah—I guess. We just haven’t had such a long stretch of good without something _really_ bad happening right after. I don't want anything bad to happen with Henry. I don't think I'll be able to handle it if I get a taste of this life—being his mom I guess—just to have it ripped away. ”

 _“I’m not gonna lie to you and tell you everything's gonna be alright forever. It's not. Something_ **_will_ ** _happen sooner or later. Shit is going to hit the fan occasionally—but that’s just life. You can't stay in your comfort zone and not progress in life just because you're afraid of what might happen."_

"I know that! And I'm not even considering staying in this place any longer than I have to. I just wasn't expecting all of this to work out so fast. Isn't that the least bit suspicious!” 

“ _That’s a good thing Em. All of this working out so fast. It means we're in the right place at the right time. Now_ ” He reached his paw out and bopped her face with it in a misguided attempt at comfort. “ _Don't think so much. You'll get wrinkles. Just go sleep and get ready to spend the majority of the weekend binge packing._ ” Emma chuckled and nudged him with her shoulder before pulling into a parking spot in front of the building and stopping the car. 

As they travelled up to the office, she couldn't help but let his reassurances roll over her. 

He was right. She was overthinking this. Things would be fine and even if they didn't stay fine all the time, the relationship between her, Regina and Henry was strong enough to withstand whatever I was. And if it wasn’t—Emma wasn't going to let it go without a fight. 

———

Two weeks later—on dot—Emma and Henry went to Boston to retrieve the last of Emma’s things. They were supposed to make a trip out of it—visiting the city Emma spent the majority of her adult hood in—but some last minute emergency council meeting kept Regina from coming along. Henry had been devastated, thinking for sure he wasn’t going to be able to go now that his mother couldn't. He'd moped and sulked right up until the moment Emma showed up at the mansion door.

(Much to Emma's surprise, Regina had been willing to let Henry go with Emma for the day. Her voice had been a little shaky, her pallor a little pale. but she'd been firm in her decision. 

"I trust you Emma." She'd said. “You’ve proven to me that you are here to stay and that you are as trustworthy as they come. I know you won’t do anything to hurt him. Just please, be safe and call me if you need _anything_.”

Emma had profusely promised and made sure to double check the seatbelts, triple check under her hood and make sure every light was working in her car. She did everything in her power to make sure Henry was as safe as possible. Not only because of Regina's willingness to let him go, despite the fear she felt, but because of a natural instinct that had brewing and growing since their first meeting.) 

This was the first time Emma was solely responsible for Henry. She needed it to go at the very least mostly ok.

The reality of that fact began to hit her on just after they passed a sign welcoming them to Boston. She white knuckled the steering wheel and tried her best to force herself to breath through the panic. 

_“Red light.”_

Henry had been asleep for most of the drive up—it was butt crack o’clock after all—but during the maybe ten minutes he’d been awake he’d listened to the radio, peacefully looking out the window. Thankfully not seeing her falling apart. 

_“Red light!Red light! **Red Light!** ”_

Intellectually, Emma knew nothing bad would happen—and if anything bad were to happen Regina would be a phone call away and most likely wouldn't judge Emma _too_ harshly. It would be fine. Totally fine.

“ _Red light for fucks sake!”_ Dodger yelled in her head. Emma slammed the breaks on just in time to avoid colliding with another car. She was forced to swerve to avoid yet another car and with some fast and furious quality heroics, no-one was injured. But as the car stopped, everyone jolted forward and Aviva flew off of Henry's lap and into the windshield. 

“Shit!—Shoot! Sorry V! Are you alright?” Emma asked in a panic. She was barely breathing now. That had been too close. Shit! Fuck!

(As much as she wanted to cradle Aviva to her chest, she didn’t dare touch her.) Henry reached over picked his Dæmon up from up the dashboard gently. He and the ferret exchanged a look before they fell into a fit of laughter. 

Emma breathed a sigh of relief and let her head fall back on the headrest. Their laughter was sweet and light, but did nothing to sooth the fast beating of heart. 

—————

They managed to make it to their first stop in one piece by the grace of God.

Henry didn’t know it, but they had a full day planned. Regina had done most of the planning honestly, because Emma hadn’t left her house often enough to know any of the child friendly attractions of the city outside of the pizza joint across the street from her apartment. That fact left Emma feeling a little empty without the brunette’s presence. She wanted to watch Regina’s face out of the corner of her eye as Henry ran around Legoland. Emma wanted to know what books Regina would pick up from the Harvard Bookstore. She wanted to watch Caliban clean Aviva as discreetly as possible while the boy was eating Emma’s favorite three cheese pizza. 

The sparsely timed and vague texts were no substitute for Regina’s presence. 

———-

Even with Regina absent, after a short time Emma and Henry managed to have a hell of day. By some miracle they got through everything Emma had planned and more and decided to grab the last of Emma’s things from her apartment before heading to the pizza place across the street. Then, to the mansion.

Emma would be moving into her new home the next morning. 

The thought was starting to sound less and less scary, and finally moving back into something resembling excitement. 

It didn't take them long to grab the last of pieces of Emma's of life and stuff them in the trunk of the bug. The movers Regina had hired collected the larger pieces—the few pieces of furniture Emma owned, appliances and a bookshelf—straight to Storybrooke the day before. They were only meant to pick up the personal items before the cleaners came to take the rest to a mixture of thrift stores and dumpsters.

Henry was beyond thrilled. He’d been on the edge of freaking out all day—apparently this was his first time out of Storybrooke. He’d looked at everything they passed with awe in his eyes, asking as many questions as he could think up. Aviva has stayed in the form of a beagle most of the day, sniffing along the sidewalks and now the walls and in the spaces where the furniture used to be.

When the last box was placed in the trunk, and the keys of the apartment turned in to the office, only then did both Henry and his Dæmon begin to settle down. Aviva had shifted for the first time all day, transforming in front of Emma’s eyes from her little beagle form to that of a little calico cat. She moved sluggishly beside the boy as they walked across the street. 

“Did you have fun today Hen?” Emma asked as they entered the restaurant. It smelled of warm cheese and Italian spices. Heaven. 

He slow blinked at her, but the bright smile on his face was enough for her to know just how much he’d enjoyed their time together. “This was the best day ever! I’m so happy we get to do stuff like this all the time now that you’re moving to Storybrooke.” 

“I don’t know about all the time but I could be convinced to do this often. Next time we drag your mom away from her work for a weekend to do this, ok? I don’t know about you but…it feels weird doing this without her.” Emma confessed. 

Henry scrunched up his nose in an adorably Regina way. “Yeah. I didn’t want to say anything and make you think I wasn’t having fun but…I do miss Mom. It would have been awesome to have her here.” 

“You missing your mom isn’t going to take away from our time together. And I’m never gonna be mad or upset if you tell me you miss her. She’s your mom. It makes sense you’ll miss her when she’s not around.” Emma shrugged. 

“But…You’re my mom too. I should be fine being around you without her around…right?” He looked stricken at the idea of not being alright with Emma just because they shared blood, and the thought of his confusion hurt Emma.

She took in a quiet deep breath. “…I’m technically your mom but Regina is your _mom._ You know? She raised you—she’s in every memory you’ve ever had all your life. She’s taken care of you since you were three weeks old. I may have given birth to you and I may be in your life now, but she’ll always be your _mom_. And that’s alright.”

He took a moment to understand the implication of her words. Scrunching his brows as he thought. Then he spoke. “Really?” He asked quietly. 

“Of course! Look, I grew up without my bio-mom and I still don’t know who she or my bio-dad are. And I never really found another mom or dad but I came pretty close. Always with the people who did all the parent things like tucking me in, reading me stories, hugging me, caring about me—and Regina’s done all that stuff and more for you when I couldn’t. So…yeah…You’ll always love her in a way you can’t love me. And that’s ok.”

“…and I’ll always love you in a way I can’t love her…Right?” His eyes were wide and bright, but guarded. (God, if Emma didn’t know any better she’d think Regina was his biological mother. His expressions were all her.) 

Emma smiled and tried to hold back the traitorous tears that threatened to slip down her cheeks. She failed, but her smile didn’t look horrible so she let it go. Henry—her kid—was so amazing. She smiled down at him and reached out to hold his hand. “Yeah kid.” 

————

The pizza was devoured in record time. Devouring a single three cheese pizza was nothing but a pastime for Henry and Emma. They easily could have taken on a second, but Emma was afraid she’d fall into a food coma if they attempted it. So, they ordered the second to go. (Regina could set aside her strict no dairy, no carb, no _fun_ diet for at least one slice.) After ordering dessert—to-go bowls of ice cream were the eventual choice. Coffee flavored with chocolate sprinkles and marshmallow syrup for Emma, and Birthday Cake flavored with rainbow sprinkles and strawberry syrup for Henry—they were ready to get on the road. Henry walked ahead of Emma, shoveling his ice cream into his mouth steadily. Emma was a few steps behind him, watching him with as he and Aviva walked.

She loved him with every ounce of her being. This day full of nothing but fun and learning and love, was the final nail in the coffin. Emma was so far gone on Henry there was no way she would be able to—or even want to—find her way out. 

They were at the car soon, and Henry climbed in the passenger side just as Emma unlocked the door. He was falling head first into a sugar crash finally. They’d walked up and down the streets, observing the neighborhood Emma spent the longest period of time in her life in until Henry had displayed just a hint of fatigue. 

“You ready to head home kid?” Emma asked as she leaned in to lock his seatbelt as tight as she could without hurting Aviva. She was curled up in Henry’s lap, half asleep in the form of a ferret. She looked positively adorable wrapped in a knitted blue, black and silver Ravenclaw scarf. Henry had forced Emma to buy one for Dodger and Caliban, but she doubted Caliban would wear his. 

“Yeah.” He opened his mouth wide to yawn. “I’m ready. Do you think Mom’ll be mad if I nap a little?” The second he’d sat in the car it was like all the pent up energy he’d been vibrating with on the streets flew out of him in a sigh. His blinking was getting slower and slower. He wouldn’t be awake much longer. 

Emma chuckled and even allowed herself to give into her urges, and stroke a stray hair away from his forehead.“No—I don’t think she’ll be too mad. If she is, I’ll make up an excuse for you.” 

He smiled a dopey smile at her and reached out to pat her cheek. “Thanks Em. G’night.” He turned his head and let it rest on the window of the bug. He was out like a light. 

Emma shook her head with a laugh and moved to open the backseat for Dodger. 

_“He’s cute even when he’s half conscious.”_ Dodger commented. His tail wagged as he watched the boy. 

“Of course he is. He’s our kid. He can’t be anything but cute.” 

Dodger snorted. _“I can’t wait to hear you say that again when we catch him kissing a girl—or boy—for the first time.”_

He hopped into the back seat before Emma could throw him in. As he turned around to get comfortable, he caught a glimpse of something familiar behind Emma. They were inching closer, their Dæmon too dark for Dodger to make out on in the parking lot. But his ears pricked up in apprehension all the same. 

He let out a growl when the person spoke. 

“Emma? Is that you?”

Emma froze at the sound of the voice. It was him. It couldn’t be. 

He stepped closer. Out of the darkness and into the streetlights. He looked the same. Still the same worn and unkempt look about him. He had his hands in his pockets, and his Dæmon—A black jackal named Delilah— stood beside him but behind him. She was trying to be non-threatening, but she was failing. No matter how small she made herself appear Emma and Dodger would be uneasy in their presence. 

“Don’t ignore me Em—I know it’s you. I’d know that car anywhere! Can’t you just talk to me for a sec?” 

“What the fuck do you want me to say Neal?! Huh? ‘Hi how are ya—last time we talked you were setting me up to take the fall for a felony. How’s your life been since then?!’” Emma whisper screamed. She chanced a look back inside the car and thanked God that in the darkness Henry couldn’t be seen. She prayed he didn’t move or say a word. She _so_ was not in the mood to explain to Neal why a kid of approximately ten was in her passenger’s seat. 

Neal sighed and took a step closer. Dodger leapt from the car and stood in front of Emma, a snarl on his face. 

“I’m sorry Em. I—fuck! I fucked up. Ok? And I’m beyond sorry.” 

“Fucked up is the understatement of the century Neal! You sent me into a bust you _knew_ would get you sent to federal prison but didn’t think to fucking tell me and let me take the fall for something I didn’t even know you were doing! I went to prison!” 

“You did and I’ve been looking for you ever since Em. I’ve been trying to say sorry for the past ten years but you keep moving and I just—”

“—Gave up. You gave up. And don’t put this on me. If you had wanted to find me you would have. You just got tired and quit after probably five minutes. What the fuck do you want now?”

“Nothing! I swear I just…look I…I got out of that stuff—I’ve been out for the past three years and I’ve been doing some thinking. About you and about what I did and I just….I’m sorry Em. Sorry can’t even begin to describe what I feel and I wish we had more time because I’d lay it all out on the table for you. Are you busy right now? Can we get a cup o’ coffee or somethin’?” 

“I am busy actually. I’m leaving Boston. I’ve got somewhere to be and not enough time in the world to talk to you or listen to your bullshit.”

“Emma please!”

“Fuck you! If I hear from you again I won’t hesitate to take you down Neal. I’ve moved on—thank fuck—and so should you.” 

He moved closer again and tried to open his mouth to say more but Emma and Dodger were in the car, speeding off into the darkness before he could continue. 

———-

Emma’s mind was a mess the entire ride back to Storybrooke. Neal. Neal fucking Cassidy of all people had to show up just as she was getting ready to leave Boston. Fuck! She wanted to scream but she needed the silence that accompanied Henry’s sleep.

She needed to think.

Why was her luck such shit? Why did God or whoever the fuck hate her guts _so bad_ that they had to send _Neal Fucking Cassidy_ to see her off from Boston when the kid that was technically theirs—but not really because despite the fact Emma gave birth to him she never gave him life. And Neal was never fucking there— _in the fucking car._

 _“Do you think he knows?”_ Dodger asked frantically behind her. 

“Knows what?” 

_“Know about Henry! Do you think he figured it out or saw him in the car or read your file or something? Maybe that’s why he came to find you?”_

“I doubt it. Neal’s nothing if not persistent and if he’d had an inkling of Henry he would have held me hostage to get information. You and I both know that. He doesn’t know. Thank fuck. And we need to find a way to keep it that way. I don’t need him running into town fucking this all up.” 

_“But it’s inevitable isn’t it? Henry sought you out. The next logical step would be to find Neal. And despite our past—can we really deny him that? Do we have the right?”_ Dodger asked. 

Emma sighed. He was right—per usual. They couldn’t deny Henry the right to get to know his father. It wasn’t fair to him or even to Neal—not after Emma had been blessed with the chance to get to know him.

The next hour of the ride Emma fought with herself. 

On one hand—Henry had every right to get to know Neal and now that it was apparently most likely an attainable goal, he should be able to set his sights on it if he so desired. But on the other hand—Neal left her to rot when she was eighteen years old. Eighteen. He’d been almost ten years older than her and much wiser and knowledgeable in almost every way. She’d let him take the leads of their relationship and he led her into a trap. 

She hated him for it and now wanted to be selfish more than anything. The fact that he did those things in the first place made him a less than stellar person to meet Henry—but she couldn’t come up with the answer on her own. She was his Ma (the new name filled her heart with warmth and fuzz and butterflies and everything good and pure) but Regina was his Mother. 

They’d talk the second she reached Storybrooke—no matter how late it was.

———-

Emma sent Regina a text message when the bug entered Storybrooke’s perimeter.

It read: _Henry’s fine. We had an amazing time. Some unexpected stuff came up last minute and it’s an emergency. Please be ready with alcohol and a strong stomach. We’re ten minutes out._

Regina had only responded with a simple : _Ok._

_————_

_“_ What do you think we should do?” Emma asked.

She and Regina had retreated to the study after putting Henry to bed. Liquor had been poured, secrets spilled and for the last ten minutes—nothing but silence. Regina had been stunned to hear of the story behind Henry’s birth. Specifically the part about a 30 year old man taking advantage of a freshly turned 18 year old. That fact alone made her hesitant to agree to Neal’s presence in Henry’s life. 

But Emma had pled his case. Not for herself—as she and Dodger had established—but for Henry. Emma would have given anything to known her brith parents, even during the times she’d thought she was staying with her ‘forever family.’ And now they were at a stand still. 

“I don’t know. Part of me wants to shut him out completely no matter what he wants. But I know that’s not wise. I let you in—I should let him in.” 

“That’s what I was thinking…Neal isn’t the greatest guy ever. Or…he wasn’t when I knew him. But it’s been ten years. He’s almost 40 years old. Maybe he’s changed for the better and become the parent Henry deserves. Even if he isn’t, shouldn’t we give him the chance to be?”

Emma watched as Regina’s eyes never left the amber liquid of her liquor. Caliban stared up at his counterpart then walked over to nudge her leg and made a small noise. Regina chuckled and reached out to strokes his strong back. 

“I know you’re good at finding people—so—after you get settled and after a few subtle hints to Henry about whether or not he’s looking for a father figure maybe you can call Neal? Or I can if it’s easier.” 

“Maybe we can take a trip to Boston to meet him. The both of us. Henry can go to Katherine for a weekend and we determine whether or not he’s fit—I mean you can.” 

“You were right the first time. You’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re ready to be a parent Emma. I’d be honored to co-parent Henry with you. This could…be our first test run together I guess. Vetting Neal.” Regina’s words were hesitant but the small smile on her face let Emma know she was excited. Emma smiled a wide smile. 

“Really?” Her words were barely above a whisper. Regina’s smile grew. 

“Yes really.” 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Neal was the antagonist of my last fic. I tried to find a way to have someone else in this one but I was too attached to the idea. I've always wanted to see this scenario play out in the Dæmon fics so I couldn't help but write it. He won't be an 'antagonist' in the same way he was in Intertwined I swear. He's a completely different character and serves a completely different purpose. Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to leave a comment. I love them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the love! Last week was super busy for me out of nowhere so I didn't get a chance to respond to all the lovely comments I received but I'm planning on doing that tonight. Thank you for reading, i hope you enjoy this chapter!

Emma moved into her apartment two days after the Boston outing/revelation.

Regina and Emma had been on edge since the Boston trip but Henry’s excitement washed away any worries by the time it came to move Emma into her apartment. She owned less than the average adult, so Regina deigned they could do most of the work themselves. The movers had already moved the sofa inside and a few other heavier items. So Emma could see why Regina thought such a feat was possible. Besides, she was not keen on challenging Regina (even if she knew that they would struggle with the larger boxes. Regina was tiny and Emma was so far out of shape it was ridiculous. They’d cross the bridge when they got there though.)

Emma woke the morning of the move feeling invigorated. Excited beyond belief. And that excitement made her emotional.

This was the first time in almost twenty years that she felt excited to move somewhere. Most of her moves had been that of necessity but this was truly the first in all of her twenty-eight years of living to make her _happy_. 

She practically skipped up the front stairs of the manor towards the smell of freshly brewed coffee and had to hold herself back from pulling Regina into a hug. The brunette noted her excitement though and greeted her with a warm smile. 

As she turned around to speak, Emma noticed her clothing. It was simple and modest, but more skin than Regina had ever showed previously and for a moment Emma felt like a teenage boy—lusting over Regina’s shoulders. She wore a simple fitted black tank top with black runner’s shorts. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail—over the past few months Regina had been letting it grow out. It was gloriously thick and sometimes holding the tiniest hint of wave that suggested her natural hair was curly. Emma was stuck between burning jealousy—her own hair had remained limp but still unmanageable on the best of days—and the desire to just rub her face in it. 

Caliban lay at her side directly in the sunlight of backdoor. His tail moved idly as he watched Emma and Dodger. 

“Someone’s happy this morning.” Regina commented with a chuckle. 

“Can’t help it! I’m so excited to be moving into a place I actually want to move to. I can’t wait to just…start ya know? Even though I know much won’t change when I move it’s still exciting.” She moved closer and on instinct Regina reached behind her to grab a mug. Emma took silent note of the lack of scars (most likely concealer) but said nothing. She took it over to the french press—in the process giving Emma the most amazing view—before sliding it over the island along with the cream and sugar. 

“I’m glad you’re excited. You should be. This move signifies more than just a move. It’s the beginning of your new life as a mother. Something I’m sure you’ve been wanting for the past few months. It’s good and…I’m genuinely surprised that I’m excited as well.” 

Emma looked over at the brunette and gave her a sheepish smile. “Are you excited to see me everyday? I’m excited to bug you during your lunch break with lots of junk food.” The blonde wiggled her eyebrows with a mischievous grin. 

Regina chuckled then tilted her head down shyly. “Your presence would be far from an annoyance. You are so very far from a pest Miss Swan….you wouldn’t even believe it.” Her last words were so soft Emma almost didn’t hear them. But even if she hadn’t Dodger had and his ears perked up Regina’s quiet words. They both shared a look and just as Dodger went to speak, elephant steps thundered down the stairs. Followed by the flapping of wings. 

Henry and Aviva flew down the stairs in a hurry and the little bubble of peace was popped in favor of the blissful chaos Emma had grown to love.

———-

They reached the apartment within the hour. Emma arrived first in the bug—which was filled the brim—and Regina arrived a short while later. Her black Mercedes wasn’t the most helpful in terms of moving, with its all around compact nature and lack of actual useable space. But Regina managed as well as she could with Henry in the backseat and Caliban in the passenger.

Emma got out to meet the leasing agent first, while Regina and Henry made their way up to the apartment. The plan was for them to take as much as they could up and place it next to her door while Emma handled the logistics. The ‘complex’ (really just one building full of loft apartments) was relatively new compared to the rest of the town, but not modern enough to have upgraded to the keycard, guard in the lobby, lifestyle Emma was accustomed to. But she trusted that she’d see anyone who tried to take her things from her new doorstep. If she didn’t—she knew for sure both Dodger and Caliban would. 

The leasing agent/property manager was a tiny young woman with long chestnut hair and bright blue eyes named Lina Thumbe. Her smile was radiant and she was beyond punctual, waiting for Emma in her office key in hand lease on the table behind them. Her Dæmon— a little sugar glider—sat on her wrist. 

Once the lease was signed and everything in place, they shook hands. 

“I’m so happy for you Miss Swan! And I can’t wait for you to start your life in this wonderful establishment. I’ll be here almost 24/7—-I have an apartment here as well—so if you have any trouble at all, whether it be your key breaking, your toilet stopping or your fridge exploding, I’ll be here to assist.”

Emma gave the woman a small smile. Behind her, Regina and Henry returned from their first trip up. “I’ll keep that in mind—thanks.” They shook hands again before the key was given. 

Her apartment number was 17. It was located on the second floor, which would be a blessing come winter, and it was one of the smaller units but the newest in terms of renovation. Regina and Henry were waiting for her when she gathered a box of dvds and gave Dodger a bag of her groceries. (Regina had insisted on grocery shopping the second they started their day. She was determined to cook Emma her first home cooked meal the second Emma confessed she’d never actually cooked in her old apartment.) 

Henry was bouncing up and down with excitement, Aviva was yet again in the form of a Jack Russell terrier, wiggling her little tail behind her as Emma came close. Regina and Caliban stood a little further away, both of them looking as statuesque as usual, until Emma came into view. Regina perked up instantly, whereas Caliban only flickered his gaze in her direction. 

It was better than nothing. 

Emma held up the key with a smile. “You guys ready to get this show on the road?” 

————

Four hours, ten breaks, and one injury later all of Emma’s belongings were finally safely brought upstairs. They were all exhausted but relieved to say the least.

They had planned originally to have a nice little movie night, but with the way both Regina and Henry were sagging on her new couch, Emma doubted any of them would be awake enough for it. 

“You guys should head home. It’s a school night.” Emma reluctantly stated. Henry tried poking out his lip, but Regina was having none of it. She sighed as she sat up from her almost slumped position—it wasn’t a true slump because this was Regina Mills they were talking about. She couldn’t slump.

“You’re right. Despite how much I want to curl into your couch and sleep for a year I have an early meeting tomorrow and I need to sleep the rest of the day away to recover from this.” She held up her hand. She’d cut it on a broken frame. It was a ridiculous way to gain injury, but it was serious enough for Emma’s mind to blank for a few moments before she took to tending it. The entire time Regina remained suspiciously calm, only looking down at it with slightly widened eyes and a cool disposition. Even as the thick scarlet rivulets of blood dripped down her arm and onto her sneakers. Regina looked down at Henry. The lines between her eyebrows creased. “…How about you guys stay here and get the rest of Emma’s things unpacked. I’ll be back after a nice long nap.” 

Both Henry and Emma’s eyes widened. 

“You sure Regina?” Emma asked. She couldn’t believe it. Was Regina actually….letting Henry be here without thoroughly vetting the place and checking to make sure no criminals lived in a twelve mile vicinity? 

Regina blushed and rolled her eyes. “I just let him spend the day with you in Boston Emma. I think he’ll be fine here for an afternoon. Besides, it will be nice to nap without having to worry about a little one for once.” The unspoken reference to her nightmares was noted. Emma and Regina shared a look.

And surprisingly, so did Dodger and Caliban. The feline initiated it, taking a small and nonthreatening step forward and catching Dodger’s brown eyes with his gold ones. They technically couldn’t communicate, but they obviously found their own way of letting the other know that they’d found common ground officially. Dodger had been on guard since the ‘incident’ buthe let his guard fall to wag his tail just a bit and sniff toward the large feline. Caliban in return lowered his head in gratitude and let out a low rumble of joy.

Regina and Emma froze.

“That was…unexpected. But so totally beyond cool!” Henry exclaimed.

His mothers only laughed. 

—————

Regina wasn’t gone for more than three hours. During that time, Emma and Henry took the opportunity to sluggishly unpack a few of what Emma considered essentials. By the time Regina came to pick Henry up, Emma’s tv was almost set up, her bed made and ready for the deep sleep she was prepared to christen it with and her coffeemaker was set up. Henry was thoroughly pooped by the end though, and Emma had to carry him down to Regina’s car.

They stood outside of Emma’s car chatting before Regina returned home.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to whip something up? You deserve to have a home cooked meal in your new home the first night.” Regina asked. 

“I’m good—I swear. Usually I do this weird ritual thing with pot pie anyway. I can deal with that for the night. Raincheck for tomorrow night though?” 

Regina smiled. “Of course. If you need anything don’t hesitate to call.” There was a lull for a moment. Regina looked up at Emma, the afternoon sun lighting up something warring behind her amber eyes. 

She reached out slowly. Emma stood as still as she possibly could, but forced herself to release the immediate tension that raised in her body. Regina leaned in and pulled Emma into a loose hug. Emma returned it quickly, and allowed herself a small smile into Regina’s neck. 

She smelled of lavender essential oil, classic perfume, and a hint of spice. 

“I’m so happy you’re here Emma.” Regina confessed quietly. 

“Me too Regina.” Emma confessed.

—————

The first three days of her stay in Storybrooke, Emma stayed in her new apartment and the area surrounding it in an attempt to get to know her new home. She’d seen bits and pieces of the town briefly during her time with Regina and Henry but Regina hadn’t been keen on going out most days and Henry almost always wanted to show Emma some new video game or movie or comic book during their visits. The quaint little town was home to several spots Emma was curious about.

But when she went to visit and explore, she and Dodger found themselves dodging a million questions and walking away from far too interested gazes. It was frustrating to the least. Emma had always been a private person and the prying people in the town were already getting on her last nerve.

Regina called on the night of the second day. Henry and Emma had phone conversations everyday after school now, but Emma had yet to talk to Regina. Apparently, the brunette was taking it upon herself to not only do her duties as mayor but to add on top of that searches for jobs Emma was qualified for—both in and out of the city. Emma had started the search already months ago and had had no luck. She’d expressed her concerns to Regina before moving in so to hear of her attempts made Emma feel special to say the least. Even if she was worried about Regina. 

“How was your day Madam Mayor?” Emma asked. She plopped down on her couch, clutching her beer bottle in her hand and trying to keep it from sloshing all over it as Dodger bounded across the room and onto the spot beside her. 

Regina snorted into the phone. “Annoying per usual. Apparently there has been yet another collapse in the mines last night—no-one was hurt thank the gods—but a few of the miners are attempting to hold a ‘rally’ in favor of keeping the damn thing open when it’s so obviously a safety hazard. No matter how many times I tell them no they keep persisting and insisting that they can work around the potentially hazardous areas. There’s space in the budget to compensate for all of their lost wages while we figure out another solution but they won’t stand for it. Nothing of interest happened after that. Outside of the alarming reality that Storybrooke is severely lacking in the available job department.” 

Emma laughed. It was true—finding work in Storybrooke was proving to be much more difficult than previously anticipated. Either the jobs available weren’t being listed on the more well-known sights (which was the most likely scenario) or Storybrooke really didn’t need new residents. It was impossible for every job to filled—right? “I’m glad I’m not the only one noticing. I had to take a break from job hunting to sight see today and let me tell you—I felt like more of an attraction than the sights I was seeing. How do you deal with it all the time?”

“I don’t. I hide in my house and when I deem int fit, I hide my son as well. I grew up in this town and yet the residents act as if they've never seen me before a day in their lives. They gawk like I’m some monster then wonder why I snap on more than one occasion. Especially those uppity PTA moms in Henry’s school—speaking of which—I have an invitation to extend to you.” 

“Sounds interesting. What is it?” 

“Would you like to go with me to take Henry to school tomorrow? You won’t have to go in and meet anyone if you don’t want to. I just think it will be nice for him to have us take him together. It might be a tight fit with Caliban and Dodger both being so big but—

“—We’ll figure something out. I wanna go. A lot. I…I honestly wasn’t expecting you to offer that and I hadn’t even thought of seeing his school but just the thought it making me excited.” 

Regina chuckled. “Trust me. That excitement will wear off in a couple of weeks when his excitement wears offs and he whines in the car on the way to school. By then I won’t be there and you’ll wish you never stepped foot in Storybrooke.”

“I’ll never regret this…no matter what happens. No matter how annoying the town and the people in it get. No matter how long it takes for me to get a job. I’m never gonna regret it.” 

The phone was silent for a moment. Regina sniffled then cleared her throat. “Good. I’m glad…because I don’t think I’ll ever regret letting you into our lives Emma…I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ll see you at the mansion tomorrow morning. Good Night.” She hung up before Emma could respond. 

————

Emma was at the mansion by 7 the next morning. They took the bug instead of the Mercedes and it was the tightest fit that ever existed—with Caliban having to curl up at Regina’s feet because he was so heavy and would flatten his poor human’s legs, and Dodger curled up as best as he could on Emma’s lap. His head grazed Regina’s thigh.

 _“Hey—-look at that—I made it to second base before you did!”_ Dodger commented with a silent snort.

“Fuck you.” Emma hissed silently. The only outward evidence of their conversation only being the twitch of Emma’s lip. 

“Turn left here.” Regina instructed. Emma obliged carefully. Regina had been instructing the whole way and though Emma had offered to let her drive Regina refused. Her reasoning being that: “You need to learn the way anyway Emma. You’ll need to take him to school eventually. You might as well start now.” 

It was a decent sized building. Apparently, every kid in Storybrooke went there and though it seemed to be just an average public school on the surface through Regina’s school reformation efforts over the past several years, it was essentially a free private school in terms of education. Henry wore a uniform and everything. 

“You have your project right?” Regina asked as she pivoted to look back at Henry. Caliban peeked his head up from Regina’s knee and peered at the boy. 

Henry sighed. “Yes mom. I’ve got it. And I’ve got that note for Ms.Blanchard and that other thing in the bottom of my backpack for the lunch line. I’ve got to go—I see August.” He reached over and placed a kiss on Regina’s awaiting cheek, then on Emma’s. “Can you both pick me up after school? Then maybe we can go to the park?” 

Regina and Emma shared a look. Emma nodded imperceptibly. Regina looked to Henry. “I don’t see why not.” He gave them a bright smile. 

“Do you think maybe I could invite a few of my friends?” 

Emma nodded to Regina again. “Yes. But only a few.”

“Thanks moms!” He looked down at their Dæmons with longing before flitting his gaze between them. “Can I? Before I go?”

Regina nodded easily and Emma—though hesitant and slightly confused—nodded as well. 

Henry whooped and swooped down to press kisses on the heads of both his mothers' Dæmons before hopping out of the car. Emma would have watched as he ran to a young ginger boy, but she was frozen in place. 

No-one had touched her Dæmon. Ever. Outside of absolute emergencies, no-one had ever touched Dodger, except for Emma. The privilege of touching another person’s Dæmon was reserved for family members, lovers and _very_ close friends—and before Henry and Regina, Emma had never gotten attached to anyone in that way before. Never trusted them enough to come close enough to even think about touching Dodger in such an intimate way—not even Neal. And Henry had just did it. 

What surprised Emma the most wasn’t the fact that he’d done it—she always imagined that Regina was secretly affectionate when Emma wasn’t around. The kid had to have learned social etiquette from someone—It was her own lack of negative reaction. 

She’d only felt a jolt of something warm and tender flash through her. Like a hug but… _more_. Her mind was buzzing. Dodger too was trying to reconcile his own feelings, and he always had a habit to talking out loud, so Emma didn’t hear Regina call her name the first three times. 

“Emma? Are you alright?” Regina asked. 

Emma sluggishly nodded. “I’m…I’m fine…Just shocked I guess. No-one’s ever…”

“I’m sorry I should have warned you. I thought his question would be enough but if you’re not comfortable with him touching Dodger I can ask him not to.”

“NO!” The thought of never ever feeling that utterly tranquil sensation again nearly sent her into a frenzy. “No. I liked it. It just surprised me…I’m fine. Can I meet his teacher?”

_“Uh what the fuck? Consult me first why don’t you!? What if I’m not ready to meet his teacher?”_

Regina’s eyebrows raised in suspicion but she nodded. “We don’t have to explain his relation to you just yet unless you want to. No-one knows he’s adopted, but I can figure out a way to announce it or something.”

“Not yet… I want to enjoy the little bit of anonymity I’ve got for now…If that’s alright? I can just be a family friend for now.”

“I can respect that. Let’s go before the day starts, usually they have an assembly in the gym to get their minds ready for the day—his homeroom teacher is most often times in her classroom getting it ready. We’ll start with her for today. She’ll be more than enough for one day.” 

Regina opened the bug’s door, and let Caliban out first. He did a languid stretch then let out a low garbled sound of discomfort as he rearranged his matted fur. Regina rolled her eyes at his dramatics before getting out after him. As Emma exited the car, she thanked her earlier self for having the foresight to look nice. Next to Regina, the average woman had a habit of looking a little bit frumpy but today Emma was actually a contender. In her black jeans, navy blue 3/4 sleeve blouse and high heeled black boots she didn’t look so out of place beside Regina’s fitted black dress, black blazer and sky-high heels. Emma’s hair was loose and she wore no makeup, but she felt confident and ready to take on the world. 

Regina began to stalk towards the school. People were watching. Parents dropping off their kids that morning watched as the unfamiliar yellow car pulled up and the mayor and some random woman popped out. Regina had to cast an intimidating figure now to keep them away. And damn did she do it well. Her high heels echoed across the asphalt like a warning. Her hips swayed a dangerously enticing swing. Emma couldn’t help but watch and follow helplessly. She just hoped she didn’t look as much like Dodger as she felt she did.

Tongue hanging out, eyes wide, lagging behind the powerhouse of a woman like a lovesick puppy. 

—————

Ms. Blanchard’s classroom was a burst of rainbow of bright colors and oddly calming pictures of birds in flight. It was on brand, considering the woman’s blue bird Dæmon but still unexpected. Regina tensed when they crossed the threshold of the classroom, and before Emma could check in the woman—who she presumed was Ms. Blanchard—turned around.

She jumped when she took in Regina. 

“Madam Mayor! I uh wasn't expecting you this morning. Is everything alright? Is Henry alright?” 

“Henry’s fine Ms. Blanchard. I just wanted to take the time to introduce you to a family friend of ours—someone I’m sure you’ve heard much about over the past few months. Miss Emma Swan. Emma this is Henry’s homeroom teacher and favorite English teacher Miss Mary Margaret Blanchard—soon to be Nolan.”

Blanchard smiled at Emma, though as she held out her hand for Emma to shake the smile melted into something confused. 

They shook hands slowly. Ms. Blanchard observed Emma briefly before shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually this absent minded or nosy but I can’t help but asking—Have we met before? I feel like your face is familiar.”

“I don’t think so.” Emma responded. 

“I know we’ve at least passed each other in the hallways of some familiar territory before…Did you happen to recently move into an apartment at Enchanted Lodgings?” 

“Uh yeah actually. Number 17.” 

Ms. Blanchard gasped and clapped her hands briefly. A large smile fell over her face. “No way! My fiancé and I are number 16! We’ve been meaning to meet our newest neighbor, but with everything that’s been going on I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself. If you’re free tomorrow night you should stop by!” 

Emma gulped but managed to smile a small smile. “Sure. I’ll be sure to do that.” 

A bell rang behind them. Its song echoed through the halls. 

“That’s my cue. The kids’ll be here any second. Thank you for stopping by Madam Mayor—and it was nice meeting you Miss Swan!” 

“You too Ms.Blanchard.” Emma replied while Regina just stalked out of the room and out of the school. She was faster than most people would expect with the height of her heels.

When Emma made her way to the car after realizing a second too late that Regina had swiftly retreated, she saw the brunette perched on the hood of the bright yellow bug, scowling at Caliban as they conversed silently.

Emma cleared her throat as she came closer. “She seemed nice.” 

Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes. A tiny smile twitched at the corner of her full lips. “Yes. Too nice. I can’t talk to her for longer than a few minutes at a time. Her sweetness makes me nauseas and her voice grates on my nerves. I need something to help me unwind before I go to work and spend the entire day yelling…Do you want to grab some Granny’s with me?” 

Emma smiled at the light blush that fell across the brunette’s cheeks as she asked. She should know by now that Emma was loathed to deny her anything.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’d love to.”

————-

Breakfast was relaxed but ended much too quickly. Emma reluctantly returned to her apartment afterwards and searched for jobs in the nearest towns. She was desperate at this point. But, no luck.

By dinner time, there was a knock on her door. It was Mary Margaret, holding a small casserole and a nervous smile. 

“I hope you don’t mind. I was making dinner and realized I made too much. I was gonna just wrap it up but it seemed like the perfect segue way into inviting you to dinner. If this is coming off as creepy or anything stop me please! There aren’t many people in this town around our age and I just—”

“It’s like you read my mind actually. I would love company. Come on in.” Emma responded. She opened her door enough for the woman to come inside.

After an initial awkward period, the pair got on like old friends. They laughed and talked all night, and by the end of the night Emma let the realization sink in that she was making a friend—an actual friend who she could have drinks with and share secrets with in the very far future. 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of short, but I thought it would be nice to have something a bit smaller. I hope you enjoy!

Emma found a job by some stroke of dumb luck. It was nothing short of a miracle that she managed to land a job as a result of something that was nothing more than an accident. The day had started out as nothing out of the ordinary. Emma and Henry had been on a walk down Main Street after hitting up the local ice-cream shop for an after dinner treat. Regina had worked later than usual and asked Emma to keep an eye on Henry. Of course Emma obliged immediately. Night was just around the corner. The sun was just beginning to fall behind the horizon. Main Street was quiet. Beyond quiet. And empty.

Or so they thought.

Glass shattered in the distance. Someone screamed and yelled for someone else to come back. A man ran from the direction of the pawn shop, a very expensive and heavy looking gold plate in his hands. He pushed past Emma and Henry, brushing Emma’s shoulder but only stumbling with the force of it. On instinct, almost immediately, Emma handed her ice cream to Henry and went after the man. 

That had been her job after all. For almost eleven years she’d chased after scumbags for a living and this one was no different. She was a bit out of shape and it took her longer than it would have before to catch up, but she managed. In the end, Dodger took him down with a sharp bite to one ankle, and Emma snatched the plate away before kicking his other ankle to force him to the ground. When he was down, she didn’t hesitate to pin his arms behind his back.

The owner of the pawn shop—A man named Mr. Gold, Emma eventually learned—hobbled out after the criminal in an attempt to take back his expensive property but when he saw the blonde pinning him to the ground with her knee, he called the sheriff. After reviewing security footage somehow in the flurry of arrests and witness statements, Emma had been offered the opportunity to do an interview for a position with the sheriff’s department by the sheriff himself. 

She said yes of course. 

And the interview went well. Sheriff Graham Humbert was a good guy, if a bit quiet and withdrawn. His Dæmon—a sleek black wolf with one brown eye and one gold—was just as quiet. But he was a hound for crime and made it his mission to eradicate it as soon as possible. Which was part of the reason he hired Emma almost on the spot. Her time as a bail bondsman gave her a skillset most of the deputies in their little town just didn’t have. Added onto that her natural proclivity for finding people and her little ‘super power’ she was a shoe in. 

———

Emma started work on a Monday. She refrained from drinking too much the night before—despite the fact that she had two opportunities in a lunch with Mary Margaret and David, and dinner with Regina and Henry—which she thanked her past self for immediately when she woke up on time. Even Dodger was awake and alert shortly after Emma was.

They were both nervous. Both buzzing with untamed nervous energy as they got ready for their day. But once the uniform was on, a wave of sudden focus came over them. They hadn't had the chance or the motivation to apply the laser focus that was stored somewhere deep inside for a while now. It felt good to be motivated. To feel ready for such an exhilarating job. The station wasn't very far from Emma's apartment building. Five minutes at the most. And when she pulled into the designated employee parking space, the first face to greet her was David. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, bright blue eyes and dirty blonde hair cut in a polished style. It was shocking—at first—to see him in something other than the flannel and blue jeans he seemed to always be wearing. 

He and his Dæmon—A tall dutch shepherd dog named Lila—were eagerly watching them. Both smiled as she and Dodger exited the bug. 

“Good morning Deputy Swan! I would like to personally welcome you to our esteemed sheriff’s office!” His smile was turning dopey and the smallest bit proud. It made Emma chuckle. 

“There’s no need for all that. It's just me David." Emma said. 

“Exactly. It's _you_ — city slicker Emma Swan who’s gonna help us be better than we ever were before. All of the squad is looking forward to your arrival Em. The whole town is. You've even gotten a visit from the boss lady herself." 

"And who might that be?” Emma questioned. David sent her a smirk. 

"Come see for yourself.”

Dodger and Emma followed them hesitantly. From the foyer, they could make out the silhouette of at least four other people. One of which was not in uniform. Emma gulped.

 _“Don't be a pussy.”_ Dodger scolded with a silent snort. _“We've walked into worse situations than this. We’ll be fine."_

David opened the doors with a dramatic flourish. Emma spotted the other deputies first. They were all standing casually around a desk that appeared to be empty, save for a small basket of something on top.

A door opened across the room, catching all of their attention. And out came the clicking of familiar high heels. Regina stepped out of the sheriff's office in the most mouthwatering long sleeve blue dress. She was holding paperwork out to Graham, who looked as if he was trying to pay close attention to her her every word. Emma was impressed. She knew she'd not be able to be that polite if Regina was standing that close to her looking like some sort of goddess. 

“And that—Sheriff Humbert—is why I need you to thoroughly check over your deputies work before you bring it to me. I don’t have the time nor the inclination to do your job for you. I have enough to do as it is. If you can't help your deputies be better and do better—then I'll find someone to replace you and them. Do you understand?" 

Graham swallowed as Regina spun on her heel to glare at him. "I understand Ma’am.” His Dæmon whined beside him. Caliban bared his teeth and let out a small intimidating growl. 

Regina gave a cold smile. “Wonderful.” David cleared his throat as the other deputies in the room either pointedly looked anywhere but the mayor, or went about the room randomly doing things that looked like work. Regina turned to look at David, her eyes instantly filled with a hidden warmth as she caught Emma's gaze. But the rest of her remained stoic as ever. “Welcome Deputy Swan. We're happy to have you on board. Hopefully you have better handwriting and more common sense than your coworkers. Good day." 

Regina strutted out the room without another word. No-one mentioned how each of their eyes was glued either her backside or her hips. 

————

The first day was fine. Nothing like working in Boston, but the change was welcomed. The work was slow but easy, the coworkers pleasant enough. No problems arose mostly, outside of one that came as both a surprise and not. (Because Emma forgot at times that no-one else besides Henry got to see Regina in the closest thing to her natural state often. They all saw her outward persona. Not the warm woman beneath.)

Deputy Alexander Evans (a young kid, fresh out of college who'd just had a baby girl named Alexandra. He gushed about her all day) slammed down a hefty file of paperwork with a groan. 

“Fuck me bro!” He cried. His beagle Dæmon let out a frustrated huff, rolling onto her side with a whimper. 

"What happened?” Deputy Locksley asked. 

“I fucked up my file. It’s a tiny mistake, but I know Mills is gonna have my ass if I don’t re-do it. It’s perfectly legible though! Fuck I don’t have time time for this. She's such an uptight bitch sometimes.” He growled. 

No-one stepped up to correct him and it took everything in Dodger to force back a growl at his words. Emma swallowed back an impulsive insult. “I'm sure she's not that bad. Wanting neat paperwork can't be that much of a crime.” 

“But it's not just the paperwork. She’s on our asses all the time for the stupidest shit. Things no sane person would be picky about. And she comes in here acting like she owns the place all the time when we all know she's only in office 'cause Spencer got caught doing all that shit. I can't stand Mills man." He huffed again and let his lips fall into a pout. Emma wanted to smack him as hard as she was able, but she just barely managed to hold back.

“I mean...being high-strung and uptight isn't the worst thing ever right. It beats having to do illegal shit for someone doesn't it? And from what I've heard she’s done nothing but good for this town. Maybe instead of bitching you should just put in the work.”

Evans scoffed but before he could say anything, Locksley cut in. 

“Look Swan—you’re new here. So you haven’t been here long enough to see in her one of her moods. Trust me, when she’s on fire she’s a hellion. It takes a lot of self control to work for her, but I still respect her at the end of the day. She's done great things for this town, but that doesn't take away from the truth of the situation." 

"Which is what exactly?” Emma questioned, her eyebrow raising in a challenge. She doubted Locksley would say anything that wouldn’t be borderline offensive towards Regina. 

“She's a great mayor, but she's also the biggest bitch I've ever met." The other deputies laughed along with him, though David’s laugh was more strained than the others. 

For the rest of her shift, Emma was tense. By the time it was over, she was more than ready to leave. She couldn't blame them exactly. She was sure if she hadn't had the chance to see what was under the mask that she’d think the same thing. But she'd seen underneath and knew better than to take what she saw at face value. It had stung in a strange place to hear them talk bad about the woman who she considered to be a close friend. 

———

The first week was hectic. Though the work itself wasn't hard, it still left Emma exhausted by the end of the day. So much so that she found she barely had enough time to get in a phone call with Henry and Regina before falling into a deep sleep.On her first day off (a Saturday, thankfully) Regina invited her and Dodger to breakfast at the mansion. Henry was at his usual Storybrooke Scholars meeting, which meant they'd be alone. But at this point Emma was feeling just as comfortable ,if not more, so with Regina as she was with Henry. 

There was no way in hell Emma'd refuse. 

The scent of tantalizing breakfast wafted through the ornate front door as Emma stepped up the stairs. The door opened easily. Regina had left it unlocked for her, as she was apparently busy slaving over the stove to create was smelled like french toast. 

“Emma? Is that you?” Regina called. 

Dodger snorted. _“It’s not like anyone else would dare walk into this house without explicate invitation.”_ He commented. Emma reached her foot out and purposefully tripped him. He fell flat on his face just as Caliban came to greet them. 

Even after all this time, it was still unsettling at times to watch the large Dæmon leave his counterpart’s side. He let out a noise that sounded much too close to a laugh. He didn’t say a word, as was expected, but he motioned for them to follow. Regina’s back was to them, but the plate of delectable looking food sat beside her. She turned to look at them with a smile. 

“Good morning. You look like you’ve finally gotten a full night’s sleep.” Regina said. 

Emma snorted. “That’s because for the first time in a week I did. The job is a tough one, but it’s worth it. Is breakfast ready?” 

It didn’t take long for them to get set up. Regina made the plates with the precision of a Michelin star chef, plating them with a gentle hand and artist’s vision. Emma almost didn’t want to eat the masterpiece that was her plate, but once it came into reaching distance there was no stopping Emma. Regina even put out a smaller plate for Dodger, though Caliban’s portion was overshadowed by what looked like raw meat. 

They ate in relative silence, both women scarfing down there food as if they hadn’t eaten in a long time (though Emma was noticeably less graceful than Regina). Once the first portion was gone, another was dished up. After that, both were too stuffed to fit anything else. They waddled to the living room and plopped down on the couch. 

A random movie or another played on the large tv as they chatted. 

“So, how’s the new job? I’m trying to keep my distance so I don’t draw too much unwanted attention to you, but I can’t help but worry.” Regina admitted. She pulled her feet up under her and curled into the couch as she looked towards Emma. It took a lot of focus for Emma not to comment on just how cute the formidable woman curled up in sweatpants and a tank top. 

Emma gasped dramatically, “You worry about little ole me? I can’t believe it! My life has been changed forever.” Regina let out a laugh and playfully hit Emma’s shoulder. 

“Of course I worry about you Emma…I worry all the time. But I don’t want to project my worries onto you, so I keep it to myself.” She blushed a bit. Emma’s heart nearly stopped. Jesus Regina was so cute.

“I worry too…Especially when I have to put up with hearing day in and day out how much my coworkers dislike you. They don’t threaten you or anything it just…I’m sure storing that much undeserved dislike for someone interferes with there job and in turn—yours.”

Regina let out a tense chuckle. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say their dislike is ‘undeserved’ per say. I have been known to be a bitch.” 

“I can see that—but everything they complain about is reasonable. Wanting the reports to be correct and neat isn’t a crime. And wanting them to not slack off during work hours, wear their uniforms and do patrols properly is apart of your _job_. My delivery would be a little sharp too if I had to keep reiterating the same shit to the same people every other day.” 

“The curse of small town life I guess. People don’t take you 100% serious when they’ve known you most of their lives. Most of the sheriff’s department are unfortunately people I’ve know for most of my life. So, they think I should be cutting them slack when they don’t realize I’ve been making concessions for them for years.” 

A thought popped into Emma’s head. One that could be received one of two ways, and either way was slightly unpleasant. 

_“Don’t you do it. Don’t you fucking do it! She cooked us breakfast for fuck’s sake! Don’t go making her uncomfortable.”_ Dodger tried to protest but Emma rebutted fast. 

“I just wanna know. It’s important I ask and if she doesn’t wanna talk about it—she doesn’t have to answer.” Emma replied silently. 

_“But you’re gonna bring the mood down!!!”_ He whined. 

“Emma are you alright?” Regina asked quietly. 

Emma cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m fine, just had a question but I’m unsure if it’ll make you uncomfortable. If it does tell me to shut up, please.” Regina rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. Since Regina’s confession the night after her nightmare, Emma noticed that she’d been volunteering more and more information about her past. She didn’t want to push too much, but her naturally curiosity about Regina and her mysterious past didn't make it easy to ignore her impulse to ask. Besides, the woman would tell her if she was uncomfortable. Emma cleared her throat again, and wiggled around in her seat to get comfortable. “I uh…you mentioned that you’ve lived here all your life…Does anyone else—well, has anyone else gone through what you have?”

Regina paused at the question. For a second or two she seemed unsure as to whether or not she’d answer. But she opened her mouth. “No. Not anyone who still lives here anymore anyway. It happened during summer break, right after we settled so no-one knew anything. Only that a few families moved away, and a few kids looked a little worse for wear.” 

“That’s…That’s—so no-one reported anything. No-one did anything?” 

“There was nothing left of the facility to report once everything was said and done Miss Swan. Trust me. Now, which movie—Silence of the Lambs or Heathers?” 

It was clear she was done with the conversation, but her answer left only more questions for Emma. How in the world had something so sinister been done with no repercussions of any kind? How had no-one known when presumably dozens of kids came back with different Dæmons or didn’t come back at all. What organization was so well connected that it was able to hide such a heinous crime. As Clarice Starling sat on a chair directly in front of Doctor Hannibal Lecter’s cell—her European starling Dæmon perched on her shoulder— Regina reached out suddenly, pressing her hand to Emma’s. 

She didn’t look at her as she spoke. 

“Don’t think so much Emma. It’s over now. And it will never happen again.” 

There was something both sad and guilty in her tone. It worried Emma, but she didn't dare ask about it. She kept her eyes on the screen and tried to quiet her questioning mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Every chapter makes me love this story more and more. I can't wait to continue this next week. See you then!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter. I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who comments and gives kudos. I appreciate them so much thank you!

A storm brewed the night before she came.

When lightning struck and the winds rolled together in a dangerous dance, Emma was at the manor having dinner. Just as the gorgeous three course meal was brought to the table, Regina’s phone rang. The number that flashed across the screen was unfamiliar to Emma, as was the name attached to the contact. But she didn’t comment. When Regina caught a glimpse of the name she went pale. Her face clouding with worry. 

“Is everything alright?” Emma asked. At the tone of her voice, Henry popped his head up from his assessment of the beautiful meal in front of him. Aviva—today, deciding that the form of ocelot fit her and Henry’s mood—popped her head up as well. 

Regina struggled to find an answer. “It—it’s fine. Just start without me for a moment or two. This shouldn’t take long.” She didn’t wait for a response, practically running from the room and shutting herself and Caliban in the nearest room with a door—which happened to be the downstairs bathroom. Emma moved her gaze over to Henry, whose expression was somewhere between concerned and intrigued. 

“What was that about?” She asked. He shrugged, but Emma could tell he wasn’t telling the whole truth. 

“Her face and her reaction can mean one of two things—either something bad happened to the town most likely something to do with the mines, or Aunt Z is in town and wants to say hi.” 

“Aunt Z?” Emma had never heard mention of the woman at all during her time with the Mills family. Never once had Regina spoken about having a sister. Henry’s face grew pensive. 

“Yeah. She’s Mom’s sister. She used to be around a lot when I was younger but after her divorce she decided to go travel the world since she didn’t get the chance to when she was younger. She doesn’t come around a lot—the people in town make her feel really bad about herself. Besides, both her and mom don’t sleep a lot when she’s here. You can only deal with that for so long. I wonder how long she’s gonna be staying this time.” Aviva let out a sigh, plopping her little head on Henry’s lap. Her gaze was worried, but she settled a bit when Henry stroked her soft back. 

Before Emma could speak again, Regina returned from the bathroom, looking less pale but still unsettled. 

“Was that Aunt Z?” Henry asked. 

Regina only nodded her head. “She’s decided to come visit this weekend. She isn’t sure how long she’s staying this time.”

Henry’s little face lit up. “Yes! I can’t wait to see her! I missed her so much.” 

Regina sighed as she sat back down. She began to dole out portions of the fish she’d prepared, and with a sigh replied to Henry’s remark. “Me too _mijo_. Me too.” 

————

Around twenty four hours later, a cab pulled up to the manor. Emma took in a shaky breath as Dodger’s ears picked up the sound of the car pulling into the driveway. Regina was standing beside her, wringing her hands together and holding herself back from pacing. She had—in the most evasive way possible—practically begged Emma to stay over and meet her sister the next day. Though she never once called her that. In fact, Regina didn’t say a word about Zelena outside of the fact that she was ‘family’. 

She’d basically shut down since the call. Being uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn to a degree that was beginning to worry Emma. But she held her tongue, because she knew prying would get her nowhere with Regina. 

Henry was vibrating with energy as he and Aviva—once again in her peregrine falcon form—stood near the doorway, peering out of the front window. 

“She’s coming! She’s coming! She looks so different oh my gosh mom! We have to help her bring her stuff in!” He squealed. But Regina gave no reaction. Only at the front door with a mix of fear and apprehension. When Henry’s attempts as getting her attention didn’t work, Emma reached out to him. 

“I’ll go with you kid. I’m sure she’d like the help.” It was raining, so before heading outside they donned their rain coats and boots. Aviva switched to her Jack Russel form to dart out before Henry. Dodger followed as close as he could, while Emma and Henry navigated the heavy rain.

“Zelena!” Henry cried. 

She turned around in surprise, but smiled at the boy. She let Henry take her smallest bag as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. 

“My, haven’t you grown! Last time I saw you darling, you were at my knee!” Another surprise, she had an accent. A British one.

Dodger tilted his head in confusion. _“What the fuck? Regina doesn’t have one of those…unless I’m deaf or somethin’.”_

“I”m sure I wasn’t that short Aunt Z. Before we go in you’ve gotta meet Emma! She’s my birth mom!” Zelena’s eyes—crystal blue—went wide. Abruptly going from warm to cold as she glared at Emma above Henry’s head. 

“Take this inside for me would you darling? I don’t want your mother skinning me alive for letting you get a cold.” 

Henry chuckled but nodded, and ran off back inside the house. Before Emma could offer to help her with her bags, Zelena took a threatening step forward. Emma forced herself to stick her ground. 

Her face pulled into a sneer. “Look—I’m going to say this once and only once. It is very important, so you’d do best to listen carefully.” Emma gulped and nodded. “Great. I know you think you have some right to Henry—as evidenced by the fact that you’re here and trying to play Mommy after giving him up so long ago—but you _don’t_. Regina is his mother and I promise you on my life if you try to interfere with that in any way shape or form I’ll make it my personal mission in life to destroy you. Do you understand me?” Zelena’s face was pulled into a sinister expression. One that warned of peril. 

“I would never do something like that! Regina and I are friends! Henry—”

“I _said_ do you understand me?!” The woman roared. A manic light shining in her eyes. Emma swallowed and forced herself to nod. The mania washed away with the rain and a smile replaced it. “Brilliant. Now take this.” She shoved a large suitcase into Emma’s arms, then without another word she paid the cab driver and sauntered up the driveway towards the manor. 

Only as she made her way into the house and towards the second guest room, did Dodger make mention of something Emma hadn’t even noticed.

His voice was low. A little bit scared even. _“I didn’t smell her Dæmon. It wasn’t—it wasn’t there Emma.”_

Emma nearly dropped the suitcase, but managed to catch it just in time. 

———-

Dinner was mostly tense. Though surprisingly enough, not between Regina and Zelena. They spoke as if they were old friends, not an ounce of animosity between them. Neither Henry or Regina mentioned her lack of Dæmon. But from the way Regina tried to steer conversations away from Emma’s direction—as Zelena made it a habit to try and rope her into what appeared to be a simple conversation but was a trap into an interrogation—she sensed Emma’s apprehension. After dinner, Henry dragged Zelena into the living room to play some new game while Regina requested Emma stay behind and help her clean up.

As they were washing the dishes—Regina was washing, her sleeves rolled up in a display of her arms Emma had never seen before. It seemed unconscious, so Emma did everything in her power not draw attention to the marks for fear of making Regina self conscious—Regina turned to Emma. 

“She said something to you outside didn’t she?” She asked quietly. 

Emma didn’t see the point in lying. “She did but—”

“Thats not what’s making you apprehensive.” Regina sighed. She turned back to the dishes. “There’s a reason she doesn’t come to town often. She has a Dæmon— _she does_ —he just…people stare. People ogle in disgust and fascination. So he stays away or hidden.” 

“He can stay away?” She’d only heard of something like that in fairytales. The tales told to scare children into obeying. The ones about witches of old who sent their Dæmons to lure children into the woods and into their sinister trappings disguised as treats.

“Yes…Zelena was in the program I was in as a child. We’re only a year apart so our Dæmons settled around the same time. He’s…a unique creature. So please for my sake and Henry’s—try not to stare once he arrives. I understand that our family is…eccentric to say the least. Odd and borderline offensive to say the most but…we didn’t choose this. If you feel as though you can’t stay then I understand—”

“—I’m fine Regina. I understand that these types of things aren’t something like getting a piercing or a face tattoo. I’m fine honest.” 

Regina let out a received sigh. “Good…because I have one more favor to ask.” She looked hesitant to ask, and that fact saddened Emma the tiniest bit. She wanted their relationship to be one that was free of such apprehension. So she made her stance as nonchalant as possible and shrugged. 

“Lay it on me.” She said. 

Regina waited a moment or two. Cleared her throat then stuttered quietly. “Zelena and I…our…we…How can I put this?”

“Is it alright if I make a guess?” Regina nodded. “You both have those ‘dreams’ I witnessed last time I slept over and you want Henry at my place at night so he can sleep.” 

Regina gave her a sheepish look. “Yes. I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t even. It’s fine. Whatever you need.” 

A tender look passed between them. Emma took a small step forward, and reached out to cup Regina’s elbow. The brunette leaned into the touch, and just as she opened her mouth to speak a brash voice interrupted. 

“Are you two done doing inappropriate things in the kitchen? Can you grab us some hot chocolate while you’re in there?” Zelena yelled. Her words were followed by Henry’s childish giggle. 

Regina rolled her eyes with a snort. 

“She’s a character for sure.” Emma remarked. 

“Oh—you don’t know the half of it.” 

—————

Zelena was an odd woman. She was eccentric and obnoxious from what Emma had seen, but in a way that suggested she was putting on a show for the sake of everyone else. 

It was hard at times to believe that she was Regina’s sister. They were complete opposites in almost every way.

Zelena was tall and possessed a voluptuous figure. Her hair was bright red, her skin fair, and her eyes light. Regina was as petite as they came, with a figure that was curvy but not overly so. Her hair was curly when she allowed it to be, and dark as night. Her skin a golden olive tone and her eyes dark. There were almost no similarities between them. At least not any Emma could detect, until she ran into Zelena, Regina and Henry at Granny’s a day or two after Zelena arrived. 

It was an odd arrangement they’d fallen into. Regina would drop Henry off around 7, right after dinner, to Emma’s apartment so he could sleep. He understood why and luckily wasn’t disturbed to the point that he was upset. But, Emma would drop the kid off to school before her shift and usually wouldn’t see him until he was sleepy with after dinner drowsiness. Henry spotted her and Dodger when they stepped inside the diner, but his greeting wave was a tad bit more stilted and tense than normal. 

Beside him, both Regina and Caliban were having a staring contest with a blonde man Emma knew as Dr. Whale. He was an asshat—plain and simple. Emma had yet to meet him in person, but word on the street was that he was as grimy as they came. Apparently Regina thought so too. 

“Apologize Victor.” She growled. Her eyes were alight with fury. Something dark lingered behind them, something dangerous that made Emma’s skin crawl. 

“I will not. That thing’s tail was in _my_ way. It wasn’t my fault.” He spat back. The tension grew. In the blink of an eye Regina was standing. Though she was a few inches shorter than Whale, she still cast an intimidating silhouette as she stared the man down with a snarling face. It pronounced the scar on the top of her lip. Emma’s heart skipped a beat. 

Before anything could happen (like Caliban eating Whale’s pelican Dæmon—because that was a high possibility. Caliban was a ruthless son of a bitch.) Emma stepped forward. 

“Whats going on here?” 

Regina’s eyes shot to her. Zelena and Henry’s eyes shot to her as well, worry shining their gaze. Whale looked smug. 

“This thing’s tail was in my way.” He pointed to a tiny Dæmon hiding in Zelena’s jacket. Emma couldn’t make it out, but she could see a little tail that looked like a monkey’s peeking out of her green blazer. “I was rushing, didn’t see it, stepped on it and the mayor here is demanding I apologize.” He huffed as if her request was out of the ordinary. 

Emma shot him a deadpan look. “You mean—you injured a Dæmon and refuse to apologize. I see nothing out of bounds with the mayor’s request. Apologize or be fined the traditional $600 sir.” 

Whale’s eyes went wide. “But—”

“No buts Dr. Whale. Just because you’re the town doctor doesn’t mean you’re exempt. You’ve got two minutes.” Emma snapped. 

Reluctantly, he eventually apologized under his breath before scurrying out of the diner. The other patrons were quiet, pointedly not staring at Regina and her family. Regina cleared her throat. “Thank you Deputy Swan.” 

They locked eyes. It was harder than Emma had expected not to come closer. To inquire about Zelena’s Dæmon’s health and invite herself to lunch. But she couldn’t while she was on duty. They’d agreed once Emma got the job that they would refrain from being seen together in public. At least not until it was revealed—eventually—that Emma was Henry’s biological mother. Then, their meetings wouldn’t look as suspicious as they surely would while the information was still private. 

It took all of Emma’s strength to simply nod her head towards the little family, pick up her order from the counter and exit the diner. 

———-

That weekend ,on the seventh day of Zelena’s stay, Regina requested Emma take Henry for the whole weekend. She called Emma right after her shift ended. Her voice was plagued with exhaustion.

 _“I’m sorry to ask this.”_ She said. “ _Though I know you won’t see it as an imposition, I can’t help but feel that I’ve been shirking my parental duties.”_

 _“_ You know Regina, the point of coparenting is being able to lean on the other parent when you need a break. You sound exhausted. I’d be happy to take Henry for the weekend.” Emma replied in a tone that was borderline scolding. It was sweet in some ways that Regina was so hesitant to ask for things, but Emma craved to know what it was like for Regina to put her whole trust in her. For Regina to not hesitate when calling her for things. 

Regina let out a breath of relief. “ _Thank you Emma. You don’t know how much this means to me. If you or Henry need anything, feel free to stop by. Henry should have his key and to be honest Zelena and I will be in the house the entire weekend. We’ll most likely be attempting to catch up on sleep for the weekend. It’s always a struggle when we get together but this time…it’s worse than usual.”_ She confessed in a quiet voice. 

Emma winced in sympathy. She could only imagine the amount of exhaustion permeating the manor. She sent up a silent prayer that Regina and Zelena would at least be able to have uninterrupted sleep for a few hours. 

Regina dropped Henry off to Emma’s apartment Saturday morning. She looked dead on her feet, but oddly enough, happy. 

“If all goes well, we should be able to have dinner tomorrow night—if you’re not busy.” Regina offered. 

“I’m not busy. I’d be totally down for one of your homed cooked meals. It feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve eaten anything other than grilled cheese and cereal.” 

Regina chuckled. “I’m sure. I can’t thank you enough for being so understanding Emma. Most people in your position would have been far from understanding.” She placed a hand on Emma’s upper arm. The blonde leaned into the contact. 

Beside her Dodger, let out a teasing “ _Oooooo look at you two getting cosy. So cuuute.”_ Before Emma shut him up with a nudge his cackling echoed in her mind. 

“Anyone who isn’t understanding is an asshat.”

Regina snorted at her comment. “Then you’d be surprised to learn that 75% of the population of this town are asshats. But they’re good people underneath all the ignorance.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Zelena’s name popped up on her screen, and she rolled her eyes. 

“I’m being summoned. Thank you again for this. If you have any problems—like I said—don’t hesitate to call me. Have fun.” She pulled Emma into a quick hug out of the blue. They both froze, but not out of discomfort. Both their eyes were wide. Even their Dæmons were shocked by the ease with which they embraced. Like it was something they did on a regular basis. 

" _I totally wouldn’t mind you hugging her on a regular basis. I can feel how good her hugs are from here.”_ Dodger commented. _“And honestly, Caliban’s fur looks super soft.”_

Dodger had a point. 

Regina’s phone went off again. She blushed and without another word left the apartment, Caliban in tow. Though the black leopard did chance a glance behind him to gaze at Dodger. 

_———-_

Henry was a responsible kid. For the most part. Emma had learned over the months of spending so much time with the kid, that he loved learning. He loved reading and writing and filling his beautiful little mind with knowledge. His was brilliant in all subjects of school, except Math. He fucking hated Math. He couldn’t remember the formulas to save his life and half the time he confused the steps for multiplication and division. He also forgot that once every quarter, his teacher created an extra credit project that was the bread and butter of his grade at this point. 

Henry woke in ‘his’ room in Emma’s apartment in a cold sweat. He wasted no time in running to Emma’s side and practically screeching. 

“I FORGOT MY EXTRA CREDIT PROJECT AT MOM’S HOUSE! IT’S DUE TOMORROW AND IF I DON’T GET IT DONE SHE’S GONNA KILL ME!” 

Emma and Dodger woke with a jerk, their eyes frantically searching the source of the noise. Henry grabbed his mother’s shoulders and shook her. 

“WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE MANOR NOW! I NEED TO GET IT DONE!” He screeched. 

“Can’t it wait till the morning kid?” Emma croaked. 

“No no no it can’t! If I don’t get it done tonight Mom’ll skin me alive. I’m nearly failing Math Emma! This is the only way for me to survive the next twenty four hours—please!” His voice cracked as he forced out the last syllable. 

With a sigh, Emma agreed. They didn’t even bother getting dressed, just threw on hoodies and hopped in the bug. When they reached the manor, the only lights that could be seen were the lights of the study.

Henry turned to Emma. “Ok—here’s the plan. Operation Fox: we go in through the back door, because my key works for both the front and the back doors, I go upstairs, find my work. You keep an eye out. Does that sound ok?” 

Emma truly thought on it. His plan wasn’t actually half bad. She looked over at Dodger. He gave her an expression that was his equivalent of a shrug. 

“Sounds great. On three. One.” 

“Two.” They brought their hands together in between them. 

“Three.” With a mighty motion they swung their hands upwards then darted out of the car. Aviva transformed midair from a falcon to a raccoon as she and Henry made their way to the backdoor. It didn't take him long to get it open. Luckily, no-one was near the kitchen so they were able to sneak upstairs and into Henry’s room. When Henry began to sift through the many unorganized papers in his desk, Emma popped her head out of his door to stand guard. 

Nothing happened for five minutes. If they had been five whole minutes later they would have been caught. 

Zelena stepped out first, clutching a seemingly empty bottle of wine. Her Dæmon was perched on her shoulder. His figure was hard to make out in the darkness, but when Regina stepped out of the room Zelena stepped into the path of the moonlight. 

“ _Holy Shit.”_ Dodger whispered. 

Never in Emma’s life had she been witness to a Dæmon quite like that one. He looked like a monkey—mostly. A capuchin monkey with brown fur and a tan face. The only thing that set him apart from the other monkey Dæmons Emma had seen, were his…wings. The monkey had wings. And his fur wasn’t simply brown. It was a patchwork of both brown fur and darker black feathers. It was painful to look at. 

_“He’s a Hybrid…I didn’t think those still existed nowadays.”_ Dodger whispered. 

“Why the hell are you dragging me all the way down here Zelena?” Regina questioned in an annoyed tone. “We’re supposed to be sleeping.” 

“But we both know that’s not going to happen without some interference. We’ve already downed one bottle together and with our constitutions it’s not going to be enough. Now show me to the others!” Zelena demanded with a giggle. Regina rolled her eyes and followed. When she too passed the strip of moonlight, Emma caught a glimpse of Caliban in her arms. In the form of a black house cat with large gold eyes. When they passed Henry’s room, Emma could hear him purring. The sound was so deep it was disproportionate with his body, but still super cute. 

Emma turned around and looked to Henry. He had found his papers, but had been frozen when he heard his mother and aunt leaving Regina’s room. 

“Sit at your desk and get the work done now. When they come back up we’ll leave the way we came in. Alright?” Henry let out a relieved breath and nodded his head before plopping down at his desk. Emma popped her head out of the door further when the kitchen light turned on. From her position, it wasn’t hard to see Regina and Zelena sipping wine in the kitchen. They were in pajamas, both silky and expensive looking. Their Dæmons were either in their laps or in their arms. A quiet, somber conversation began. Emma was forced to listen. If she closed the door, she was certain Caliban (even in his smaller form) would hear her. 

“What am I supposed to do Z?” Regina asked. Her voice was unsure, nervous even. Emma had never heard it before. 

“I think it’s pretty obvious darling—you ask her out!” 

“But what if she says no! This isn’t the standard situation where if we don’t like each other we can just never see each other again. We share a kid for fuck’s sake!” 

Was she talking about…?

“Exactly! You two have already been dating in some sense of the word. You already know each other enough to know that you can tolerate being around each other. All you’ve gotta do now is see if you’re compatible in the kissing department. Which I bet you are considering the way she looks at you when you aren’t looking at her.” 

Shit! 

Regina scoffed. “She doesn’t look at me any type of way Zelena. You’re imagining things.” 

“But I’m not. You and I both know I’m telling the truth. So don’t fight it. Take a chance—flirt, open yourself up a little and I can guarantee you that she will reciprocate.” 

Regina didn’t respond right away. She took another couple sips of her wine. “What if she doesn’t though?” Her voice shook.

“…Then I’ll move here and raise Henry with you.”

Regina’s gaze shot to her sister.

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

They both burst into laughter, but Emma could tell that Zelena had been 100% serious. 

Quiet conversation followed for a few minutes as they finished a glass or two before putting the bottle away and returning to Regina’s bedroom. By the time they returned Henry was done his extra credit work, so Emma wasted no time in dragging Henry back to the bug and booking it as fast as possible away from Mifflin Street. 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist bringing Zelena in and having her Dæmon be a flying monkey. It was too perfect. I love playing around with the different results of the 'program' and as I'm finishing this fic, it's becoming clearer and clearer to me just how obsessed I am with this universe. It's going to be hard to let it go and post the last chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented! I'm so happy everyone is enjoying this as much as I am. My posting schedule is gonna be a bit special this week since I had some extra time over the weekend and I spent all of it writing and editing. Keep an eye out for the remaining chapters of this throughout the week. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Zelena stayed in Storybrooke for another week. During that time, both she and Regina looked beyond exhausted, though happy to have the company of someone who understood. It took some time, but she seemed to warm up to Emma by the time is was time for her to go. She even allowed her Dæmon to be seen by Emma in all his confusing yet still majestic glory. He was an odd little fellow. Lacking in the majesty and grace that both Regina, Caliban and Zelena possessed seemingly naturally. Walsh was a little goofy in his movements, but seemed sweet if the way he allowed Henry to pick him up and cuddle him was any indication.

“What do you want on your popcorn Emma?” Regina asked from the kitchen. She was carefully dispensing equal measures of the popcorn she’d popped on the stove (because of course Regina would do that instead of the microwaveable kind). Before Emma could respond, Zelena cut in with a roll of her eyes and a snort. 

“Stop acting like such a mother Regina. The movie’s about to start. Sit your nice ass down somewhere and stop mothering everyone.” Regina rolled her eyes in response but listened at the least. And didn’t comment when the only available spot was on the loveseat right beside Emma. Dodger lay at her feet on a few pillows—courtesy of Henry—while Caliban settled himself stretched out right in front of the loveseat. His tail occasionally flicking Dodger’s ear.

Emma payed him no mind, though she couldn’t exactly ignore the tension in Regina’s form. On instinct Emma moved to reach out and grab Regina’s hand.

Dodger froze. _“What the fuck are you doing? Why are you touching her? Are you trying to get us kicked out of the best night ever???”_ He screeched.

Emma ignored him. The movie started. Henry picked some Indiana Jones flick—Emma couldn’t remember the title. She couldn’t remember anything when Regina inched closer to her. Her hand squeezing Emma’s. They didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at each other but steadily, slowly, throughout the movie they moved closer and closer to each other. Their hands intertwined.

Halfway through the movie a shift occurred. The air in the room changed. And before Emma could think much about it, Regina tensed more than she’d tensed all evening and a weight filled Emma’s lap. Weight in the form of a little black fur ball with wide gold eyes.

Caliban.

He and Emma locked eyes. They stared at each other— challenge shining in Caliban’s eyes. Suspicion in Emma’s. But, at the same time, an understanding seemed to pass between them. From their silent exchange, Emma’s unwavering acceptance of such an uncommon ‘quirk’ for lack of a better term—Caliban seemed to drop his guard. At least for the moment.

He pushed his head into her hand with a hesitant purr. Emma didn’t hesitate to give him pets, and scratch behind his ears in a way she knew he’d love. His purrs were reward enough, but added on top of Regina’s slumped form beside her, practically drooling with contentment—Emma couldn’t imagine a better moment. 

————

Zelena left the next day. Henry was sad to see her go of course, but Regina seemed resigned and understanding. They hugged and at the last second Zelena pulled Emma into a hug. Her lips were beside Emma’s ear and she whispered. “Take good care of her.”

Emma pretended not to know what she meant. 

—————

Life returned to normal after Zelena’s visit. Or—at least— the new normal. The one that included cuddles with Caliban pretty much every Saturday evening, Henry smirking at Emma like he knew something she didn’t and Regina blushing whenever Emma so much as looked her way.

It was odd and beyond unusual, but not wholly unpleasant. At least once a day, Emma couldn’t help but go back to the conversation she’d overheard. No-one else was coparent with Regina, which meant she (glorious goddess of a woman that she was) liked Emma. _Like_ liked her. In a way Emma was certain she was not deserving of. And that knowledge, bolstered by every time Caliban either rubbed his huge head against her leg in greeting or turned into the small black house cat he was meant to be in her presence made Emma giddy and afraid. 

But she didn’t let the feelings consume her. She went to work every day, worked as hard as she could—even though it was hard at times. 

Her coworkers weren’t bad people per say, just lazy. The only ones worth half their weight were Graham and David. Though they weren’t perfect. David was always late for reasons Emma didn’t want to think too much about and Graham seemed to harbor a major crush on Emma. It hadn’t been obvious before, but as the weeks wore on it was becoming painfully obvious. 

A year ago, Emma would have been thrilled at the prospect of having a love interest as non-problematic and handsome as Graham. The only problem now was that she was half in love with Regina. Truthfully, she’d been that way since the day she and Dodger set foot on the porch of the manor. 

Things came to a head though, on a rainy Monday morning. He’d managed to keep his interest to himself for a while, but it seemed he had no interest in doing so now. 

The office was mostly empty. Most of the deputies were responding to various calls around the town. The only two left were Emma and Graham. He appeared from almost out of nowhere. A small container of what looked like chocolate cake in his hand. When he spotted Emma, he smiled. His Dæmon began to wag her tail. 

“You’ve been working mighty hard this morning. It’s only 9, but I haven’t seen you leave your desk since you sat in it. Take a load off Swan.” He suggested. 

Emma shot him a suspicious look, but after catching a whiff of the heavenly chocolate cake and coffee he held, she couldn’t resist. She slammed the file she’d been going over shut and reached out her hands in a grabby motion. 

Graham chuckled and handed the items over. She didn’t hesitate to chow down. Even when Dodger had the nerve to nudge her leg with a demanding whine. 

“So, I was thinking uh…If you’re not busy.” 

_“Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Is this—is he?”_ Dodger began to frantically whisper. Emma’s eyes practically bulged out of her head as Graham continued to speak. 

“I was hoping maybe we'd be able to get dinner this Saturday.” 

Emma froze, a hefty piece of delectable cake hovering inches from her mouth. “I uh…I.” 

“If Saturday doesn’t work we can reschedule. It’s just—well, I want to get to know you Emma. I know its a little weird with my position as Sheriff and all but I swear to you whatever relationship we have will not interfere with our jobs. I’m great at compartmentalizing. Even if we break up or decide to stop seeing each other I’ll do everything in my power to keep my perspective on your work fair.”

He was saying all the right words. And Emma could tell he was being 100% genuine. It was as if he’d been handed a manual on how exactly to woo Emma Swan. And under different circumstances, his dorky charm, roguish looks and gentle demeanor would have worked like a charm. But…something was off. Emma felt a force holding her back. 

_“Don’t act dumb.”_ Dodger whispered. _“You know exactly why you’re hesitant to go out with Graham. Tell him. Don’t lead him or her on.”_

Emma gulped. “I…the thing is. I like you Graham. You’re a great guy. A really cool, great guy but I’m already in….something with someone. I—I really want to focus all my attention on that if that makes any sense.” 

To her surprise, he nodded silently. Even as disappointment and a tiny bit of embarrassment colored his cheeks, he never once lashed out. Never once tried to probe or prod Emma for answers he wasn’t deserving of. He was understanding and kind about the rejection. 

“I get it. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable Emma.” He said.

“You didn’t.” She assured quickly before he could leave. 

He let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I uh, I’m really sorry. Keep the cake and the coffee. And like I said, you don’t have to worry about any repercussions or anything like that. I’m not the kind of guy.” 

“I know you’re not…thank you for being so understanding. Some guys—well, most guys—wouldn't have been.” 

“Well, those guys have no understanding of how the human mind and the experience of life works. I’m happy you have someone…I hope they treat you well.” He gazed at Emma with eyes that were all too knowing and a bit too warm before clearing his throat and looking away. “I’m gonna go sulk in my office for the next hour. If you need anything let me know.” He joked before disappearing into his office. Emma watched the door, confusion and apprehension filling her. 

_"What?”_ Dodger asked, laying his head on her knee as she froze. 

“I…I dunno. I just….I don’t know why I turned him down. He was perfect. Literally, a face sculpted by the gods, a sweet personality and washboard abs for sure. But…it didn’t feel right.”

If Dodger had eyebrows, he certainly would have raised them at Emma. _“Don’t be a dumbass Emma. You and I both know why you said no to him.”_

Emma glared down at her Dæmon. “Fine, if you’re such a genius please feel free to enlighten me. Tell me exactly why I turned a virtually perfect match down.” 

_“One word Em. Regina.”_

Just her name sent waves of butterflies through Emma’s body. It was ridiculous really. The reaction she had just to Regina’s name. They hadn’t even shared a kiss yet—not that they ever would—let alone anything that warrant such a strong reaction. And surely the brunette coparent couldn’t be the reason behind her sudden disinterest in pursuing a romantic relationship. Surely just the prospect of having Regina in her life in more than a platonic way couldn’t interfere with her romantic life. Right?

But, Emma pondered Dodger’s response for the rest of the day—no matter what she did she couldn’t get it out of her head. Was it true that just Regina not really confession, and Caliban’s actions over the past few weeks were enough to make Emma shut down all lanes to her heart? All lanes to herself in general because in all honesty, she was reserving every last bit of herself for Regina. 

Never once in her twenty eight years of living had Emma ever felt such a way. It was terrifying. Beyond terrifying—there really was no word for the mixture of excitement, fear, dread and confusion that filled Emma for the rest of the day. As a result, she kept her distance. For a week, Emma kept her distance as best she could to think. She needed to figure herself and her feelings out before coming anywhere near Regina. By the end of the week, she was only one step closer to a solution. But she should have known Regina wouldn’t take her disappearing act laying down.

————

It was an average Wednesday night. Emma sat on her new couch, in the very corner because Dodger had splayed himself out and taken up the rest of the couch. Per usual, Golden Girls was on TV. On her lap, sat a number of files and sheets of forms she needed to fill out before Friday. In an effort to distract herself from the continually confusing emotions stirred in her, Emma focused all her attention on her work. So much so that she didn’t hear the knocks on the door. Eventually, she was pulled out of her work induced haze by the sound of someone yelling.

“DAMMIT SWAN! OPEN THE DOOR! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE. I SAW YOUR CAR OUTSIDE!” Followed by a loud feline snarl. It was Regina. Dodger's head shot up from the couch as he woke with a startled snort. 

“Shit.” Emma whispered furiously. The pounding on the door didn’t cease as she scrambled to put away work and make her house look presentable. Her heart was racing at a record pace. Her mind and Dodger’s panicked voices were echoing around in her head. A headache was brewing, but she pushed the pain aside to open the door to a disgruntled looking Regina 

“Swan.” She growled. Emma’s heart lurched. “I have been worried sick about you. I’ve called you twice in the past hour and have yet to get a response. Henry even tried calling you, but to no avail. I am this close to hurting you for making me cause a scene in your building because I was worried about you. Explain yourself.” 

Emma gulped. Regina was kind of right…ok not kind of. She was right. Over the past week Emma had used the excuse of work to get out of several family dinners with Regina. She and Henry had spent plenty of time together, but always at the park or somewhere other than the manor. It had been an ill guided attempt at disconnecting herself long enough to figure out her feelings, but it had obviously been the wrong move. 

Regina sighed and gripped the bridge of her nose. “Look, I don’t expect you to see me every day—I get it, extended exposure to me and my habits is challenging. I just…I worried a lot about what I did to hurt you so much or annoy you so much that you’ve been avoiding me. I….I’m being childish I’m sorry—Please forget I came here.” Regina turned to leave, but Emma grabbed her arm as gently as she could. She sensed that Regina had something important to say, and she wouldn’t let her insecurities or Emma’s own shocked lack of response stop her from getting the confession out. 

“Wait.” Emma pled. “Just—come in for a second. Have a drink, unwind, and we can talk. You’re right. It was wrong of me to ignore you. It was rude and awful and I’m sorry. I just got wrapped up in my own head.” 

Regina shook her head. “No alcohol. That’s how I ended up here in the first place. I took a walk to clear my head after Henry went to bed, then I called you out of some sort of drunken possession and now I’m here embarrassing myself.”

“You’re not embarrassing yourself.” Emma cut in. “And we both know you’re not drunk. You’re Regina Mills, you’re too responsible to get drunk when your son is in the same state as you. Come in, please” She moved her hand down from Regina’s forearm to her hand. She squeezed and the woman blushed. 

Then Regina chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. “Fine. Only for a little while. Katherine is with Henry right now but I don’t want to put her out for too long.” 

“Ok. Only one drink then I’ll drive you home.” Emma suggested as she led Regina to the kitchen. When she turned around to grab a bottle of whiskey, she heard Regina’s dramatic gasp. 

“Deputy Swan—what you are suggesting is very illegal!” 

“You’re not wrong, but it’s not like you’ll let me ask Mary Margaret or David to take you home.” 

“I am the mayor. I don’t need my constituents— Especially not the ones who teach my son and protect my town—seeing me tipsy.” Regina replied. Emma grabbed two glasses and after pouring one handed it to Regina. They both made their way to the couch, where Caliban and Dodger were already waiting. It was a surprise to see Caliban in his smaller form curled up on Dodger’s back, purring loud. Dodger cautiously wagged his tail. 

“That” Emma pointed to Caliban. “was part of the reason I was so distracted this past week.” Before she could continue Regina cut in. Her eyes were wide with fear and regret, tears shimmered in them. 

“I’m so sorry—we thought you were comfortable with it, we didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or make you upset.” She took a step back and winced,as if pained by the mere thought of making Emma uncomfortable. She sent Caliban a look and hesitantly he hopped off of Dodger’s back. In one stride he morphed into his larger form and was slinking away to some dark corner of the room with hunched shoulders. Emma felt like kicking herself.

She grabbed Regina shoulders and made the woman look her in the eye. She feared if she didn’t, Regina wouldn’t believe her. “You didn’t let me finish. I was distracted because I couldn’t figure out what’d I’d done so right to be gifted with such an honor. He let me pet him. Let me see him and essentially you in your most vulnerable state. I felt undeserving. Then felt confused ‘cause Graham asked me out and—

“Graham asked you out?!” Emma’s heart fluttered at the growl in Regina’s voice. Obviously the idea displeased her.

“Yep. And I turned him down.” Suddenly, cowardice bubbled in Emma’s chest. She let go of Regina and took a sip of her whiskey. It burned in the best way. Grounding Emma to reality. What if Regina rejected her? Could this be the end of her relationship with Henry?

“ _Regina’s not like that and you know it. Besides, you heard what she said in the kitchen. She_ likes _you. Take a chance for fuck’s sake.”_ Dodger hissed. Emma took a deep breath and pushed past the part of herself that wanted to pretend none of this was real for the sake of self preservation.

“It took me all week to figure out why though. And I think I finally have enough courage to say it.” 

“Why?” Regina’s words were hesitant and quiet. But her eyes were pleading for the truth. Pleading for Emma to speak the words they both knew were on the tip of her tongue. So Emma let herself. She dodged the walls she’d so skillfully placed around her heart since she was eighteen years old and put her heart out on the line. Then she braced herself. 

“I realized I wasn’t interested in him because I was already interested in someone else. Someone ten times more interesting and more captivating and more beautiful than he could ever be. It didn’t hit me until Dodger practically screamed it in my ear just who exactly that was…Feel free to stop me if you don’t feel the same way or if you just aren’t interested. I don’t want to pressure you—“ 

Emma’s words were cut off by soft, plump lips. Warm hands, littered with scars touched the sides of Emma’s face gently as they kissed. It was a chaste kiss. Soft and supple and all around innocent. But it ignited a fire in both women. It took much more energy than either thought possible to pull apart. 

They were both breathing heavily. Their mouths slightly open as they stared at one another. 

“I’ve been waiting to do that since our first chess game.” Regina confessed in voice sweeter than Emma had ever heard come out of her mouth.

“I’ve been waiting to do that since the moment I saw you on the porch.” Emma confessed in return. Regina jumped at her, pulling her into another kiss without hesitation. It was blissful, the little bubble they’d created around them. For a few minutes as they traded kisses and tried to keep a tight lid on the fire that brewed between them, nothing could touch them. Nothing could enter this moment that wasn’t invited. 

Except a cellphone apparently. Regina’s went off, scaring the women apart. It took a moment or two for them to gather their wits. When it wasn’t as obvious they were out of breath for the reason they were, Regina looked down at her phone. 

“It’s Katherine. She’s making sure I’m ok. I didn’t realize how late it was—I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. Never about this…Can we do this again?” Emma asked shyly. Regina gave her a shy smile in return and placed a kiss on her cheek. 

“Yes Miss Swan. Yes we can.” 

Regina’s satisfied little smirk after making her blush was the highlight of Emma’s life. 

_————_

Things turned turned completely around after that evening. Emma went from being purposefully distant, to making time every chance she got to visit Regina and Henry. They’d have a nice family dinner, then when Henry became too tired to function Regina and Emma would retire to the study and make out on the couch like horny teenagers. It was fucking awesome.

But, happiness in the lives of Emma Swan and Regina Mills couldn’t last too long. On a Monday morning—approximately six days after their confessions of attraction and subsequent first kiss—Henry came up to the study with a solemn face. He hadn’t gone to bed yet, but had requested to spend the remainder of his time be spent reading a new book under the apple tree in the backyard. 

He looked like he was gearing up to say something important. Aviva was perched on her shoulder in the form of a falcon per usual. (Both Emma and Regina were beginning to suspect she was preparing to settle in that form. They still had a year or two to go, but it made sense considering how much time she spent as a falcon.) Regina shot him a worried look and put her glass of wine down on the coffee table. 

“Henry…Are you alright?” She asked. She scooted forward a bit on the couch to give him her full attention. Emma did the same, as did Dodger and Caliban.

“I’m fine I just…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to go about this is to just ask. So, brace yourselves ok?” Both his mothers nodded. Henry cleared his throat. Aviva flapped her wings to readjust her feathers. A clear sign of her nervousness. “I…My dad…is he still alive?” 

If either of them had been holding a drink, they surely would have dropped it. “I know this is kind of out of left field but I just…I’ve been thinking recently. I’m not dissatisfied or anything. As a matter of fact I’m so happy with how everything’s been going but I can’t help but wonder ya know? Who is he, where is he, if he knows about me. All that stuff. August was talking about how him and his Dad are going fishing for Father’s Day this morning and it never occurred to me before that we don’t do much for father’s day. We go to _Abuelo’s_ grave and place flowers, but now that Emma’s here it got me thinking about if there’s a possibility of _my_ dad being out there some where.” He gulped at the end of his long tirade. He had barely taken a breath during the speech and neither had Regina or Emma. 

They knew this day would come—they’d been preparing for it really. But to hear the request hidden between the lines of Henry’s speech made things too real. They’d been so caught up in themselves and the lovely life they’d managed to create thus far, they forgot about the other variable in the equation. Neal. And as hesitant as they were to include him in Henry’s life it was clear now that Henry felt the need to know his father, even if he didn’t say it out loud. 

Emma cleared her throat. “He’s alive. I know that much…But I haven’t seen him since before you were born.”

“Was he…Was he a good guy?” 

Emma hesitated. “For the most part yeah. He was an ok guy but…he made poor choices. Choices that he could still be making. I need you to know Henry that…if we find him he may not be ready to be a father. He wasn’t ready then and I don’t know if he’s ready now.” Regina grasped Emma’s hand and squeezed it a tiny bit in encouragement. 

Henry pondered her words for a few seconds. “That makes sense. Not everyone is ready to be parents, even after ten years…but do you think I could get to know him—even as just the man he is. Not as my Dad or anything. I mean I’ve got my parents now—even if you’re both moms—adding one more person to that equation may be more than necessary.” Regina and Emma let out nervous chuckles. His words were balms to their bruised souls. The fear had always been there, though not expressed, that he would want Neal to replace Emma or even worse Regina. But his words suggested that was the last thing he wanted. 

“I’ll do some digging and see if I can find a number for him. If you’re ok with that?” Emma turned to Regina. She nodded without hesitation. 

“I’m fine with it, though a little hesitant…I won’t express everything I’m feeling or thinking if and until we find him. Until then Henry, please know that I love you…we love…no matter what happens with your father. No matter what he does or says or doesn’t say or doesn’t do—we love you." 

A single tear fell down Henry plump little cheek. He launched himself into his mother’s arms, and let more roll as they embraced. 

Emma and Regina locked eyes behind his back. They couldn’t put it off for much longer. 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know it took forever but finally we got some romance. I loved writing this one and I especially loved writing the tiny bit of romantic fluff between Regina and Emma. After this story and A Whole New World are complete I think I'm going to take a longer break and stop rushing myself. Things are slowing down soon so I'm gonna take time to flesh out the ideas I have for other fics and make them really good. Thank you again!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer and closer to the end of this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Emma and Regina met at Granny’s a week after Henry’s request to meet his father. It had been a tense week, full of sudden work emergencies and breakdowns of the most low-key proportions. Regina and Emma were on edge and —by the time their meet up was schedule— officially ready for all of _it_ to be over. For Henry to know who Neal was, and for the anticipation and fear to go away so things to acclimate into a new normal.

Emma strolled into the diner first—or she thought so. But when she spotted numerous patrons staring towards the back of the restaurant and whispering, she knew Regina had arrived. Granny stopped her on the way to the booth in the back holding two large cups of what looked like hot coco.

“I spiked it for you both. Madam Mayor looked like she needed it. It’s on the house.” The old woman gave her a wink before turning back to her other customers. Emma would never not be thankful for Granny. Even though she didn’t come into the diner as often, the old woman still found a way to make Emma’s life a little bit easier. Whether it be having her granddaughter Ruby show up at her loft after a long, hard days work with a burger and fries on the nights she was just too tired tome it to Regina’s, or bringing the sheriff’s office a shit ton of coffee when a case ran later than expected. She was a saint in the form of a grumpy old woman.

Emma made it to the back and stopped a few steps away from Regina. Even in her obviously exhausted state, she looked stunning. (It was odd allowing herself to feel and acknowledge her attraction to Regina. Not to mention in the privacy of the study or Regina’s bedroom, getting to kiss her and touch her in ways she’d only ever thought possible in her dreams.) She wore a tight red dress with a tiny slit up the right leg. It was outlined in black that matched her tall black heels and blazer. Her hair had been growing so long now, and reached just below her shoulder now. Today she’d let it go with the tiniest hint of curl. It didn’t take long for Emma to lose the ability to hold back as she rushed to the booth. A small but bright smile filled Regina’s face as she looked over at Emma.

“Good morning darling.” She quietly greeted.

Emma blushed. “Morning. Granny spiked these for us, she said you looked like you needed it.” She slid the mug of hot chocolate towards Regina. The brunette caught it and took one whiff before almost going bright red.

“You weren’t kidding when you said spiked were you?”

Emma chuckled. “Nope. It’s five o’clock somewhere.” With that, they toasted with a laugh.

After a few sips, Regina cleared her throat. “So, you have something to tell me I presume?” She questioned. They had agreed to meet at the diner to discuss their plan of action regarding Henry’s father. So, it only made sense that whatever it was Emma had to say, had to do with him.

Emma gulped down another sip before nodding. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a waiter came by and dropped off their breakfast. It was light this time around, considering they still had to go to work in the next hour or so. For Regina, a small order of french toast with a side of fruit and egg whites. For Emma, a large order of buttermilk pancakes with bacon and a side of fruit.

They stalled once more by taking a few bites of their food. “Let’s not put this off any longer.” Emma stated halfway through her second pancake. “I found him. He’s still in Boston. I had a few contacts over there so I asked them to find him and his information. I have his phone number and email address as well as the address for the apartment he lives in.”

Regina was shocked to silence for a few seconds. “I wasn't expecting you to be able to find him so soon. I don’t doubt your abilities but…a selfish part of me hoped he went off the grid and became untraceable for some reason.” 

“Me too. But, Neal was never good at technology so,” Emma sighed and took a long sip of her hot coco flavored whiskey. “,as hard as he tries, he only manages makes himself more visible. If you want I can send an email and tell him to meet us at the pizza shop across from my old apartment. The parking lot near there is where he saw me last time.”

“That sounds like a reasonable plan…It’s odd—I thought I’d have all the answers. That I’d be the one doing all the planning but here you are having already figured everything out…I must admit, it’s a relief. As much as anything can be considering the circumstances.” Regina reached out and grabbed Emma’s hand discreetly. Emma blushed under the touch of her skin. It was still a shock and honestly a distraction to be able to touch Regina so freely—even if they had to keep things low-key for the public.

Regina gave her a smile. “When does your schedule allow you to take off?”

“Weekends are usually free now. What about you?” 

“The same…so we schedule to take off a full weekend. Should we take Henry with us?” 

“Not until we talk to Neal first. We need to know he’s in a fit state of mind and in a good enough place in his life to be apart of Henry’s life.”

“If he’s not we hold off until Henry is 18. Got it. The planning…it’s making me feel a little bit better about this whole thing. Though I doubt I’ll ever be 100% comfortable with the idea of sharing my son with a stranger.”

“You did it once, I’m sure you can manage it again.”

Regina locked eyes with Emma. Under the table, Caliban placed his large head on Emma’s knee. Emma nearly melted. “You were different Emma. Neal…I have a feeling he and I will be butting heads quite a lot. The friendship we have is something unique to us. Not to mention the budding…”

“Romance?” Emma asked.

Regina blushed. “Yes…romance…”

They planned for a little bit longer before finishing their breakfasts and heading off to their respective jobs. Later that week they took off the same weekend. At dinner that day they explained to Henry that they were going to meet Neal to see whether or not he was fit to be apart of Henry’s life. The boy was thrilled beyond words, so much so that he didn’t sense hit mother’s apprehension and anxiety.

A day later, Neal responded to Emma’s E-mail, agreeing to the meetup at the pizza place.

————

Henry was ,predictably, very upset that he couldn’t come to Boston with them.

He pouted from the second they broke the news to him, to the second Emma’s car rolled out of the parking space in front of the manor. Katherine (a tall blonde woman who seemed to be Regina’s closest friend. She was stunning and quiet in a way that suggested she knew too much. Her blue eyed rag-doll cat Dæmon Sullivan was beautiful, almost more so than her) stood just behind him, a hand on his shoulder and a scared smile on her face. It was hard not to laugh as Henry pouted like a toddler—his arms folded and his lips pushed out in a defiant pout.

But his actions didn’t perturb Regina or Emma. Though he did siphon a small whine out of Dodger and a dejected whine from Caliban. 

The drive was an odd one. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so odd a few weeks ago, when the attraction been carefully concealed. But now, the sparkling tension between the two women was hard to ignore. As were their true feelings. Their Dæmons made sure to expose them.

Caliban and Dodger were practically one in the backseat, cuddling up together and napping on and off during the ride as if they’d done it all their lives. Caliban didn’t feel safe enough to transform, so the entire ride was spent with a huge panther and a slightly larger than average but still small compared to a predator in the backseat grooming each other.

They didn’t talk much. But instead of an awkward silence, the silence was nothing if not comfortable. More comfortable than either woman was used to. Regina read _The Price of Salt_ by Patricia Highsmith during the ride, so her attention was keenly away from Emma. Or she tried to make it seem that way. They’d lock eyes on occasion and blush like schoolgirls. It was adorable and oddly enough soothing in the face of the challenge ahead. 

They picked a hotel a few blocks away from the pizza shop. They were only staying for the weekend (truthfully, only a day because by the time they arrived in Boston it was nearly 11 and they were ready to crash more than anything) so they only carried two duffle bags between them. Things seemed to be going alright. No major hiccups. That is, until they reached the check in counter.The woman standing behind it (a mousy blonde woman dressed in the stereotypical uniform of a navy blue pencil skirt, white blouse and blazer. A parrot Dæmon perched on her shoulder and a name tag that read Cassie) looked nervously up at them. 

  
“I’m so sorry. It seems there has been a problem with your room. Some sort of plumbing issue that is making it uninhabitable. We can give you another room free of charge, on top of the refund.”

“What are the available rooms?” Regina questioned. The young woman glanced down at Caliban quickly before typing a mile a minute. She blushed.

“We’re actually booked solid today….so only a honeymoon suite on floor 7.” Cassie shot them an apologetic look. 

Regina and Emma froze. Burning blushes filled their faces as they took in the implications of the information. “So only one bed?” Emma asked. Cassie nodded regretfully.

The women shared a look. It wasn’t like they had much of a choice. Neither of them knew of any suitable hotels near the area, and it wasn’t like they were staying for a week. They were only staying for a night. Sharing a room for one night was the least of their problems at the moment. 

Regina cleared her throat and gave the woman behind the counter a stiff nod. “We’re only staying for the night so, we’ll take it.”

Cassie smiled. “Perfect. Let me give you a brochure that explains all of the cool—free of charge—additions to the room. Then I’ll hand over the key. I’m sure both are not in the mood to my spiel, so I’ll make this quick.”

Emma furrowed her brow. She and Regina questioned the woman at the same time. “Additions?”

Cassie blushed. “It is the honeymoon suite after all after all. The hotel supplies a few…themed accessories and food items that will make the honeymoon experience a little more enjoyable. I’m sure you can guess what they are.” She pulled out a pamphlet from beneath the counter and a gold keycard with a heart on it. “Enjoy your stay! There’s a continental breakfast tomorrow morning that starts at around 5. The theme is french cuisine.”

“Cool, thank you for your time.” 

Cassie them a smile before waving at them as they left.

**——————**

Luckily, the honeymoon suite had not been what either woman was expecting. It was lacking in a giant, velour heart shaped bed and rose petal covered floor. Though it did have a few bottles of champagne on the coffee table near the entrance and a small red couch in the corner.

(Silently, Emma resolved for herself and Dodger to sleep there. She knew enough about Regina’s sleep troubles to know it was rare enough for her to get a full nights sleep. The couch wouldn’t help matters any.)

Regina sighed as they put their bags down. She talked as she rubbed the ache out of her neck with one hand and observed the pamphlet in the other.

“This isn’t too bad. It’s decent for the night. I think I’m gonna take advantage of these ‘additions’ though. I’m gonna need a glass or two of champagne to calm my nerves.” She let out a surprised noise. “Oh! Did you see they have a hot tub in here?”

“Wait what?! Really?!” Emma moved to look over Regina’s shoulder and at the little pamphlet in her hands. Sure enough, the listing of a hot tub with rose scented essential oil was there as well as the champagne, a small display of chocolate and a free bottle of lube. Emma snorted at the last addition but didn’t say a word.

Regina sighed. “If only I had a bathing suit.”

“Just think—if all goes well we’ll probably be taking Henry to Boston more often anyway. You can get this room again and bring your bathing suit.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me of the possibility of having to bring Henry here to see Neal. I’m already scared out of my mind about tomorrow.” She placed the pamphlet down on the coffee table and scooped up the champagne. Comfortable silence fell over the room as Regina poured herself and Emma a glass. They sat on the couch, their Dæmons cuddled up together in an armchair across from them, sipping on their drinks and trying hard not to think about the events of the next day. 

Silence reigned as both Regina and Emma’s minds raced. Though for completely different reasons. Emma was overwhelmed with thoughts of the meetup. It had been years since she’d seen Neal. Years since she’d had any inclination to talk to him at all. Her hatred for him had simmered after a few sessions of therapy but her dislike for him and general uneasiness concerning his presence in her life didn’t diminish. But, as much as she didn’t like Neal, Henry might love him. And it wasn’t fair to cut the kid off from his biological father. No matter how nauseous it made Emma.

Regina got up silently, taking a few silky looking items of clothing with her to the bathroom.

 _“She must be getting ready for bed. I can’t blame her, I’m pretty worn out as well. You should sleep too.”_ Dodger commented. Emma was much too tired to make a scathing comment, so she threw on a t-shirt and shorts from her bag before Regina came back. Then laid on the couch, underneath a blanket she’d brought just in case.

She could hear Regina’s creaking footsteps as she carefully made her way to the bed. She didn’t get in it for a long time before her husky voice called out unsurely.

“Emma?”

“Yeah?” Emma replied.

“Would it…Would it be so terribly forward of me to ask you to join me?..You can say no it’s just…I think I’ll sleep better with you next to me.”

Shock ran through Emma, but she didn’t let it stop her from getting up without a word and hopping in the bed. Under the cover of darkness, Emma could make out the silky black nightie Regina wore. She longed to run her fingers over it. Feel Regina’s curves under her hands. But she restrained herself.

It wasn’t the time or place. If Regina was ready—if she ever became ready—they would take that step together. But until she explicitly stated so, Emma would just have to wait.

They fell asleep holding hands, Caliban’s purrs of content echoing from the nearly shut door that led to the main room.

**—————**

Hours later, Emma woke abruptly. She couldn’t tell exactly what had done it, but whatever it was made her heart race. She sat up in the bed, pushing her hair out of her face as she tried to catch her breath. It hadn’t been a nightmare, but it had been something exhilarating.

She got up to go to the bathroom to clear her head. While running some cold water over her face before returning. 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Though as she came closer to the bed Emma heard a familiar noise. Or at least, she thought so. Regina cried out in her sleep. A sound that at first glance sounded to be born of distress. But when it echoed around the room, the beautiful brunette twisted in her sleep. Her hands coming out to grip the sheets. Emma hesitated. On one hand, as Regina’s friend and her…something—it was her duty to help her. But Caliban’s sounds of distress couldn’t be heard which meant this wasn’t the standard nightmare. Which scared Emma because outside of a set number of scenarios she had no fucking idea what she was supposed to do to help Regina.

Regina let out another sound, one that was much less distressed than the one before. Then she called out Emma’s name in a breathy moan.

Well shit. That sealed the deal. 

Emma moved to Regina’s side of the bed cautiously. She reached out as slow as she could and grabbed one of Regina’s hand. 

“Regina. It’s me. I’m right here.” The brunette let out another sound before her eyes shot open. She and Emma locked eyes before Regina blushed profusely. “Are you ok?” Emma asked. Regina only nodded. She took a few moment to gather herself before clearing her throat and speaking. 

“I…I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept beside someone. It seems my body is…responding to that. I’m so sorry if I woke you. If it would make you more comfortable I’ll sleep on the couch.” She offered in a low tone. She was still a bit out of it, but Emma could see now that the glimmer in her eyes wasn’t just from sleep. Lust lingered there. The blonde gulped. 

“It’s fine Regina. We’re both adults. We both understand that our bodies have urges. Urges that are made even worse when sleeping next to someone we would eventually like to sleep with. I mean, I’m not suggesting I was in your dream or anything but you called out my name and I—"

"You were in it Emma…And yes, since we’ve starting…dating for lack of a better term—those ‘urges’ have been getting less avoidable.” 

Emma let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. It’s been hell over here trying to keep my hands off you.” They both chuckled. Regina shifted in the bed, enough so she was facing Emma easier.

“Emma?”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me?” Regina whispered.

Emma didn’t hesitate. She carefully slid on top of Regina and placed a firm but chaste to her plump lips. When she moved to retreat, Regina held onto her shoulders with a small, desperate moan. Things moved naturally from there. This wasn’t there first time getting lost in kisses. But this was their first time moving past anything other than heavy petting. It was thrilling and Emma’s heart nearly stopped when Regina rucked her nightie up her thighs and pressed her warm wet core to Emma’s exposed thigh. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. 

Emma moaned as she pulled back. Away from the heavenly embrace and soft, sultry gaze of Regina.

“Did you plan this?” Emma questioned in a teasing tone. Regina blushed a little.

“Yes. I was hoping since this was our first getaway of sorts that we’d be able to…have some fun. Was that inappropriate? I’m sorry—” Emma cut her off with a kiss and brought her trembling hand to Regina’s core. The brunette let out a pleased moan as Emma’s nimble fingers slid through her wetness and rubbed her throbbing clit.

Regina’s hands came to pull down Emma’s shorts, and she let them go. A jolt of excitement hitting her square in her center. She dripped as Regina maneuvered them so they were face to face laying on their sides. They didn’t say a word, only locked eyes and moved. It had been a long loooong time since Emma had last had sex. Way too long. And she’d forgotten how good it was. How fucking awesome it could be with someone you trusted. Neither of them lasted long. Both too sensitive after so long without to last for longer than a few minutes.

Emma came first, her walls clamping down on Regina’s slender fingers as she let out a sharp moan. Her climax triggered Regina’s, and soon Emma’s hand was flooded in a gush of warm wetness. They both moaned as the high dissipated. Then Regina giggled.

“It’s been so long I….fuck, I’m so tired. I used to be able to have three in one session at least but I guess I’m getting too old.” Emma laughed along with her, pressing a kiss to her collarbone.

“Well you’re not the only oldie around here. I’m feeling pretty tired myself. Let’s go to sleep.” She gripped Regina’s waist and pulled her close. Regina tucked her head into Emma’s neck, pressed a kiss there and promptly fell into a peaceful sleep. Emma fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**————**

They were scheduled to meet Neal at the pizza shop at one. He was already there when they arrived. Regina tensed beside her. Emma reached out, and placed a calming hand on the small of her back as they walked towards the booth he sat. He looked like he’d actually put an effort into his look. His hair was freshly cut, he was clean shaven and had an outfit that was well put together. For a split second, Emma felt guilty about not expressing exactly why she asked him here, but it was better this way. Disclosing the fact that someone has a child over email wasn’t exactly a good thing to do.

When Neal and Delilah spotted Emma, they both jumped up from their seats. Neal with a happy smile on his face and Delilah with a happy wag of her tail. 

“Hey Em. I was so happy to hear from you—you don’t even understand. How’ve things been? How’ve _you_ been?” He paused and looked down at Regina and Emma’s interlocked hands. “Who’s this?” 

“I think you should sit down Neal…I didn’t come here to catch up. I came to talk to you about something extremely important and kind of time sensitive.” 

Neal seemed to not even here her. He glared at Regina. “If its so important the time sensitive, then why do we have an audience? Who the hell is this lady?” 

Emma sighed in frustration. “This is my girlfriend—Regina. And for your sake I beg you to respect her. If you can’t tell by the size of her Dæmon she’ll rip you to pieces if you step one toe out of line. Sit down so we can get this over with.” 

Reluctantly, Neal sat down. He grimaced as Regina and Emma sat on the side opposite of him. Really close. 

“So.” Neal began. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” 

Regina caught Emma’s eye. They’d discussed several ways to break the news to him, but in the end Regina insisted it was Emma’s right. She had had a relationship with the man once upon a time, and she was the one who carried Henry. It made sense for Neal to hear the news from her. 

Emma took a deep breath. A hand came to rest on her jean covered thigh. It bolstered her confidence. “I’m gonna lay out it plain and simple ok? Don’t interrupt and don’t ask questions until I’m done.” Neal nodded. “When you…left…I was pregnant. I didn’t find out until I was in jail but by then I didn’t know how to find you or where to look. I gave birth to the kid and put him up for adoption because realistically I wasn’t equipped to take care of him. I was 18—fresh out of high school and the foster system without a penny to my name. He deserved his best chance.” Emma paused as a tear fell down her cheek. Just thinking about that time in her life—a time full of so much uncertainty and fear and self hatred—was hard. Facing the man who was a big part of it was worse. She cleared her throat and continued. 

“He found my email address because of some school project and we’ve been building a relationship for the past like year or so. He’s the greatest kid ever and I didn’t know if he wanted to look for you so I didn’t bring you up. But then he asked about you and I couldn’t lie to him and tell him you were dead—as much as wanted to. So here we are. He wants to get to know you Neal. And we’re here to determine whether or not that’s a good idea.” 

Silence fell between them. Neal looked like was on the verge of either striking out or breaking down in tears. The only thing he could manage to get out after the first few seconds was a whisper. “He?” 

Regina took over from there. “Yes. His name is Henry. He’s a smart boy—too smart for his own good sometimes. He recognizes that you may not be ready to be a father. So we came here to extend an olive branch of sorts. You can be in his life—get to know him for the wonderful child he is without the full weight of being fatherhood…You can be more like an…uncle.”

Confusion passed over Neal’s features. “Wait…Are you the lady that adopted him?” Regina nodded. “So that’s why you’re here….Great—just—gimme a sec ok.. I need to process this.” 

“That’s fine. Take your time Mr.Cassidy. Your reaction is very understandable. In fact, if you need more time I can give you my number and when you’re ready you can call me. We can set up a supervised visit of some sort. Much like Emma received when she arrived.” 

“Why can’t I have Emma’s number? I know her better—I’d feel safer talking to her.” Neal questioned. His voice held a hint of desperation. Emma cringed. 

“Be that as it may—I raised Henry. From the time he was two weeks old I’ve been his mother. Emma is my coparent but at the end of the day I am most responsible for Henry. So, you either go through me or not at all.” Regina stated. Emma loved it when her voice dipped an octave. When she was putting on the intimidation act that only proved to make Emma more aroused than anything. This was so the wrong time, but she couldn’t help but latch onto the sound of her voice in that way. Admire the tone and wish they were alone so she could kiss the stunning brunette senseless. 

Neal glared. “Look—I appreciate you taking care of the kid when I didn’t know about him, but he wants to get to know me right? So he’ll get to know me.I’m his _father_. Emma and I are his _parents_. His _real_ ones. You may have raised the kid but he’s got my blood running through his veins.”

“I never disputed that fact.” Regina calmly stated. The only sign of her agitation being the rising of her eyebrow. And Caliban’s slowly arching back. “I am only telling you how this arrangement will work. There is no negotiation. There is no deal to be made. This is it. He may be yours by blood but you haven’t done a thing to warrant the title of father. _I did_. I raised that child since he was an infant and made sure he was as well rounded and well adjusted as he could be. And now that Emma is aware of his existence, she has done beautifully stepping up to the plate and being there for him in a way I was not expecting. If you want a chance to see him or get to know him I suggest you check your attitude. I don’t have the patience for it.” Regina took out a business card and slid it across the table. “This is my number. If you get your act together we can chat. But if you step one toe out of line or if you hurt our son in any way I promise you the pieces of your body will not be found.”

She sent him a cold glare before standing up and heading to the counter of the shop. Caliban didn’t move. Only perched himself beside Emma and stared at Neal.

Emma sighed when Regina was a safe distance away. “I ask you to do one thing and you can’t even do it for two seconds.” She grumbled. 

“She started it!”

“No! She didn’t! You don’t understand Neal—that woman is the real deal. She’s the best mother I have ever seen in my life and she loves Henry like she birthed him herself. As hard as I try I don’t think I’ll ever fully measure up to her. And I’m ok with that. Because Henry is loved and cared for and that’s all that matters. Keep what matters in your sights Neal. Not your ego or your alpha male biological bullshit instinct to stake your claim on anything you deem _‘yours’._ Henry is a kid. An _amazing_ kid who just wants to know where he came from. Either suck up your bullshit or don’t talk to him at all.” 

She didn’t wait for him to respond. Only stood up and followed after Regina, who’d acquired a to-go box of pizza for the trip as a present for Henry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I couldn't help but mention The Price of Salt/Carol in this. The situation is too perfect not to mention it. They're both blonde and brunette lady lovers on a road trip. I couldn't help myself. I completed the book in a day, I loved it so much and then the movie is just a fucking masterpiece. Cate Blanchett is a goddess. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one despite Neal's presence. You better get used to him to him though, because chapter 10 has lots of him in it. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this wasn't up yesterday! I wanted to take more time to make it perfect. It's a behemoth...I didn't even realize it until I went to highlight and saw the word count like...wow. Get some snacks because this is going to be a long ass final chapter lol.

After the Boston trip, Henry’s curiosity about Neal grew fiercer, much to Emma and Regina’s discomfort. He asked Emma questions about him often but not too often—he was Regina’s son after all. And she was nothing if not a polite woman—But, despite Henry’s growing interest it seemed the curiosity was not exactly…reciprocated.

Neal didn’t call for three weeks. Didn’t so much as leave a voicemail. When asked by Regina in the privacy of her bedroom after a long night, Emma had to admit she wasn’t too upset. She had no desire to have him in her life. At all. But, as the days wore on and Henry became more and more sad, more and more withdrawn as disappointment filled him, Emma came to accept that Neal’s presence was important to Henry. And therefore, more important than her dislike for him. 

She just hoped the man got his shit together long enough to meet her amazing kid.

Luckily, fate was on both Neal and Henry’s side that fateful winter.

Emma and Regina sat on the couch in the mayoral office in front of the burning fireplace, eating their lunch as they usually did. Since the honeymoon suite their relationship had blossomed. They had lunch together every day now, and had already gone on several dates in town. They had yet to do PDA though but privately they could barely keep their hands off each other.

In between bites of a kale salad Emma pressed kisses to Regina’s neck. The woman chuckled, but her laughter abruptly stopped when her office phone rang. A dark scowl fell over her face.

“I thought I told Jen to hold my calls during my lunch hour from now on.” She snapped. Reluctantly, Regina got up from beside Emma and picked up the phone. Her voice became a growl as she answered. Emma’s heart fluttered.

“Who is this and what is so important that you feel the need to interrupt my lunch hour?!” Regina hissed. She had no idea who was on the other end of the phone—for all she knew it could be a council member or some very important business man—but she apparently didn’t care. Cautiously, Emma leaned in as close as she dared to hear whoever it was stutter in response.

“Miss Mills…I uh—this is Neal. Neal Cassidy. I’m sorry I interrupted your lunch it’s just…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I wanted to apologize.” A voice said. Emma nearly gagged at the sound of his voice. She knew one day he’d call, but she was hoping they’d have more time to enjoy their lives without his presence in them. Henry’s sad little face popped into her mind, andher doubts were pushed down to the pits of her gut.

Dodger popped his head up from its place under Caliban’s tongue. _“ I can’t believe it. He actually sounds like a…like a responsible adult.”_ He commented in surprise. He didn’t stay upright for long, as Caliban forced him back into the optimal position for grooming.

“I acted like an ass.” Neal continued. “I get that now. I guess I was just shocked. I—I said some really stupid stuff. I hope you can forgive me. I’ve taken some time to think—really think about the amazing opportunity you’ve afforded me and I decided I want to get to know Henry. If that’s alright with you and Emma of course.”

Regina paused. If he’d been present, she might have tilted her head in way that was much too reminiscent of a jungle cat assessing their prey. Her eyebrow would have raised and she would have delighted in watched him inevitably squirm. Regina had a habit of doing that, making people wait at the most inopportune time just to watch them squirm. Emma loved being present to watch her do it. Those moments were the highlights of the town meetings she was forced to attend.

After the appropriate amount of time, Regina replied. Her voice smooth but still holding an edge of intimidation. “I appreciate you calling. I’m glad you’ve come to realize that the opportunity you’ve been given is once in a lifetime and as Emma said when we last spoke—time sensitive. I must know now though whether or not you are willing to make a _commitment_.” She emphasized the word, making it clear she expected Neal to know exactly what he was getting himself into. “I don’t expect you to move to Storybrooke or anything of that nature, but know that having a relationship with Henry requires time and effort. You cannot be flaky or flighty. He is a child, not a pet. You can’t leave once you’ve gotten bored of him—though I doubt that that’s likely.”

“I understand…I haven’t stopped thinking about how amazing he must be. I haven’t done much right in my life ma’am, but I’d like to do right by the only flesh and blood I’ve got left.”

Regina paused again and looked at Emma. A look passed between them. A rush of warmth flooded Emma’s chest. Even after all the talking they’d done,she still wanted to check that Emma was alright with everything. Emma took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckle. Then nodded in response to her unspoken question. The brunette blushed.

“Are you free next Friday?” Regina questioned. Emma could hear he apprehension in her voice. Caliban more furiously groomed Dodger and let out the tiniest whine of frustration.

“Uh—y-yeah. I can make myself free.” Neal replied. His tone awed.

“Wonderful. Henry has a three day weekend starting then. We could come down for the remainder of it.” Regina offered. 

“That sounds perfect—absolutely perfect. Where should we meet?”

“The place we did last time should be fine. We can start there for lunch then explore the city.” 

Neal’s smile could be heard across the phone. “Perfect.” 

———

Henry bounced in the backseat of the bug. Aviva was racing around the backseat having taken on the form of little white rabbit. She hopped over the various duffle bags and snack bags in back before turning mid air into a small red bird and flying over Caliban. The big cat yowled and grabbed the bird as gently as he was able. He pinned her carefully and waited for her to turn into a little ocelot before meowing at her. Henry blushed and hung his head sheepishly.

“Sorry mom.” He said. 

“It’s alright darling. I know you’re excited but I don’t want Aviva accidentally flying in Emma’s view sight and distracting her from driving. How about you tell her to keep a form with four legs for now. Ok?” Regina gently suggested. The boy nodded and almost instantly Aviva was released. She went right back to a white rabbit. 

They’d been buzzing with excitement since they’d woken up. Even sitting still, it was clear Henry was beyond excited. 

A stark juxtaposition to Regina and Emma. They both tried to hide their unease, but it was clear they were tenser than usual. Luckily Henry was too excited to notice. 

The ride to Boston seemed to take longer than normal. Every minute passed as slowly as possible. But even with time going so slow, it seemed like they pulled into the hotel parking lot too soon. Henry of course got out first. He hopped out of the car the second it stopped, grabbed his bag and ran to the door of the hotel. Aviva turned into a peregrine falcon as soon as he jumped out of the car. She landed on his shoulder the second he reached the doors. 

When he reached the elegant doors of the hotel and noticed he was alone, he quickly turned to look at his parents. “Hurry up you slow pokes!” He yelled with a delightful laugh. Both gave him an amused roll of her eyes. They sped up as much as they were able, but their natural apprehension prevented them from being as enthusiastic. 

Emma gulped as they approached the front desk. Ironically enough, the same woman was working that day. Cassie, the woman with the parrot Dæmon and standard hotel office-worker-uniform. She sent them a bright smile as they came closer. 

“So nice to see you again! I was hoping you’d come back soon.” She gave Regina a warm smile before looking down at the computer on her desk top. “Checking in today?” She asked. 

“Yes. Under the name Mills. Regina Mills.” Regina responded. 

Cassie nodded and began typing. This time, her smile stayed on the entire time she made final preparations. “The rooms are ready. No plumbing issues thank God. Here are your keys. I know you already know this but, for the sake of the little guy I’ll say it again.” She winked at Henry who sent her a beaming smile. “Continental breakfast starts at 5. Tomorrow’s theme is french cuisine once again but Sunday is comfort food so be sure to show up. I hope you have a good weekend.” She handed off the keys with a smile. 

Regina had arranged the rooms this time and decided two connected rooms—one with two beds and the other with just one—would be best. Henry still wasn’t aware of their relationship status yet—as he’d been too distracted with the visit to really notice all the charged looks and extended after dinner ‘chess games’. But sleeping in the same bed would solidify any suspicions he had. As much as they wanted to sleep together—both metaphorically and literally—they wanted to talk to Henry first. 

Specifically on a weekend where things wouldn’t be so potentially overwhelming. 

The rooms were nice and elegant, with plenty of hotel brand toiletries and soft towels to go around. Henry settled on the bed Regina had designated for him. Aviva ran from the head of the bed to the foot of it in her ferret form. Regina prepared to drop her bag on the bed beside his, but Henry stopped her with a hand to her wrist. He looked up at her with a very serious look. Emma’s heart dropped. 

“Mom, I’m not a baby anymore. I know you and Emma like to share the same bed and kiss and stuff sometimes. I’m not stupid. So its ok if you two share the room that’s ‘meant for Emma’. I’d rather you be happy then have you sulk because you can’t cuddle with your girlfriend. Besides —I think it’s super cute how much you two like each other. So, how about leaving Caliban and Dodger in that bed and putting your bag in with Ma’s?” 

Regina was shocked to silence. 

Emma let out a strangled snort and tried her hardest not to let it evolve into a full blown laugh. She knew Henry was observant, but she hadn’t thought he’d so plainly figure them out when they’d tried hard to hide their relationship from him. For the time being of course. The plan had always been to tell him, but with everything going on the timing just hadn’t been right. 

Regina couldn’t even get out words. She only clutched her duffel bag to her chest and gaped. Emma snorted again and led her by the shoulder to what she guessed was now ‘their’ room. Regina plopped herself on the bed, her mind going a mile a minute as she tried to reconcile the reality of her son now knowing enough about life to know at least the bare minimum of the reason she and his other mother spent so much time together. Emma popped her head out of the room as she held the door. Dodger’s head poked out from between her legs. 

“We’ll be ready in thirty minutes. So get your stuff together and all that goodness. I need a nap before we go anywhere so if you need anything, knock really loud.” 

He nodded and gave her a thumbs up right before she closed the door. The second the click of the door echoed through the room Regina fell out onto the bed into belly bursting laughter. Emma had no choice but to join her. Soon though, the exhaustion caught up with her. She pulled Regina close, acting as the big spoon (per usual) and nestling her head into the brunette’s neck. Lulled by Regina’s natural perfume and the feel of her so close Emma fell asleep. 

—————

When she woke again, it was to Dodger licking her ear. He only did that when he was trying to wake her up, but his thoughtfulness was not appreciated right now. It didn’t take long to get ready. Before Emma had fully managed to mentally prepare herself, they were walking up to the pizza shop.Neal was standing right outside, nervously fidgeting and messing with his hair—using the window of the shop as a mirror. Regina tightened her grip on Emma’s hand. At the same time, Henry leaned up and whispered in her ear. 

“Is that him?” He questioned. Emma could only nod. 

They approached and as they crossed the street Neal turned away from the window. He froze at the sight of Henry between his mothers. The trio stopped right in front of the door, right in front of Neal. Emma recognized the shock on his face. Remembered well enough what it was like to be in that position. To be faced with the culmination of yourself and someone you once loved. 

“Hello Mr. Cassidy.” Regina greeted. He gave her a nod and swallowed hard. His eyes never leaving Henry. “Henry, meet Neal Cassidy.”

Henry gave him a warm smile and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Henry.” 

—————

It was odd, watching someone else react to Henry. It was pitiful to be honest, but Emma didn’t get the chance to see Henry around people who didn’t really know him. Storybrooke was a small community and pretty much everyone knew of the mayor’s son, so they weren’t surprised by his intelligence or his wit or his sense of humor. And they certainly weren't in awe of his entire being in the same way Neal was.

Emma had to give the man props—he was doing well. He was giving Henry his full attention the entire time, bought him pizza and played pinball with him. When they moved out of the pizza shop and down the corner to the ice cream shop, his eyes still never left Henry. They may have shined a little, in a way Emma found all too familiar, but he did well. All in all, the first day went well. As did the second day. Neal was cordial, if a little crude and unsure at times. He would glance at Regina and Emma’s interlaced hands on occasion and get this sad look in his face but Emma couldn’t care less. She and Regina stayed back for the most part. Watching both of them carefully from a distance, but not far enough for Regina’s heart rate to rise. Or Emma’s for that matter. 

The third day was designated as a family only day. Which meant only Regina, Emma and Henry were present which was a relief. Neal looked extremely disappointed when Regina had explained their plans, but he’d taken the news ok. As had been the case with Emma, Regina let Neal and Henry set up email communication and scheduled visits on the weekend. Henry seemed satisfied, but there was a look in Neal’s eyes that made Emma wary. Like he’d been expecting for more just because he showed up one weekend. 

On the night of their final day in Boston, at a sushi place Emma had never been too but Regina insisted on trying, Emma decided it was time to get Henry’s opinion on Neal. 

“So Hen.” Emma said around her salmon nigiri. Regina nudged her with her elbow. Emma swallowed. “What do you think of Neal?” 

Henry gave a smile at the man’s name. “He’s pretty cool. Not as cool as you guys but he’s nice. Better than I expected and a little more funny than I thought he’d be…” He grew silent for a second, picking at his California roll as he pondered. 

Regina leaned forward. “What is it sweetheart?” She asked. 

“Nothing bad I just realized something…I technically have a dad now…I can do _Dad_ stuff with him sometimes ya know? Like we can play catch and football and all that stuff.” The boy slowly said. 

Emma gave him a wary look. “Yeah. You can.” She simply said. 

“We can but…isn’t it weird that I’d rather do that stuff with you?” He tentatively asked. 

“No Hen. It’s not wrong at all. You know me better and are probably more comfortable with me. So it’s expected that you’d wanna do more stuff with me and your mom. You don’t have to love Neal right away just ‘cause he’s your bio Dad.” 

“So it’s ok if I don’t want to spend as much time with him as I want to with you guys?” 

“Of course love.” Regina replied. “Do you want to stop talking to Neal all together? Has he done something to make you uncomfortable?” The hand that had been holding Emma’s hand tensed. Emma could tell it was taking a lot of self control for Regina not to immediately interrogate Henry out of fear. They’d been careful and extremely attentive but even if Neal hadn’t done anything outright inappropriate, Henry just may not have been a fan of the vibes he put out. 

They both breathed a sigh of relief when he quickly said, “No! Not at all! He’s a good guy it’s just…I guess I’m not used to having a guy around. I don’t dislike him but…I think it’s gonna take some getting used to.” He admitted quietly. 

Silently, Emma preened. Henry wasn’t accepting Neal into the fold the way that he’d done her. She couldn’t help but be happy and extremely proud. They finished their dinner soon after their little conversation and got on the road as soon as possible. Henry had school the next day, and if they didn’t make it back he’d be exhausted. 

————

Despite Emma’s initial reactions, life went on after Henry met Neal. It seemed the boy liked Neal, but was taking a little longer to warm up to him than he’d done with Emma. He liked him, but he wasn’t as attached to him as he was Emma. And especially not as much as he was Regina. They kept in contact over the following weeks. Once again under Regina’s watchful eye.

They visited Boston every weekend, despite how much Emma hated returning and how bored Regina seemed. But Henry seemed to enjoy himself more and more, so they forced themselves to go. Christmas came and went, and for the first time Emma stayed over the manor for more a single night. The entirety of the Christmas break was spent in the manor. It was like she’d fallen, hit her head and woke up in heaven. Getting to taste what life could possibly be like living in the manor every day was a blessing beyond words.

On a Saturday afternoon, when Henry had taken his bus and wasn’t due to be back for hours because of some Storybrooke Scholars project, Regina and Emma indulged in a little bit of…private time. They hadn’t had a chance with their schedules and Regina’s work schedule. Add on top of that he preparations for the town’s annual Christmas fundraiser and they barely saw each other. This was the first time since what felt like forever they had time to be together with no worries. 

Regina rolled her hips forward and let out a sharp moan as Emma pressed kiss on her clit. Her hands ran through Emma’s blonde locks, holding on for dear life as Emma ran her tongue throw her folds and up to swirl around her clit. 

“Fuck, so good darling. Suck it—please?” Emm gave a hum of agreement and obliged, sucking the throbbing nub into her mouth whilst also adding a finger. Regina nearly bucked her off, but Emma had anticipated the move. She took one arm and pressed Regina’s hips down to keep her steady. The brunette let out another moan then a whimper as Emma pressed against a spot that always made her see stars. This was Emma’s favorite place to be in the world. She loved everything about pleasing Regina in this way. Loved the taste of her and the feel of her under her tongue. Loved to be surrounded by her heavenly scent and loved most of all the fact that she was the only one doing this. 

It was clear their relationship was for the long-haul, and every time she went down on Regina, Emma lamented for the people who wouldn’t get to taste Regina’s sublime juices. She brought her finger out and replaced it with her tongue, earning a squeal and a tightened grip on her hair. 

Just as she built up a rhythm of fucking Regina with her tongue and rubbing her clit with the fingers of her right hand, a phone went off. It sounded like Emma’s. Regina groaned and tightened her grip again. “Don’t stop! Please!” She begged. Emma pulled back for just a second, but quickly replaced her tongue with two fingers. Regina whimpered. 

“I won’t love. I won’t. Just focus on me, nothing else ok?” Regina let her hands fall to her side and grip the pillow under her head as she nodded. Another loud moan left her as Emma sped up, pressing against that spot in Regina and not letting up. Emma’s phone still rang in the background but they both ignored it. Emma fucked Regina harder, ignoring the cramping in her forearm as Regina began to spasm. She came with a shout and a rush of warm wetness Emma had begun to crave. She didn’t let up until her lover had had at least two more orgasms. Regina could not hold back from reciprocating on the last two. When they were coming down from the highs of their lovemaking, Emma was surprised to hear that her phone was still going off. 

Regina, who was breathing heavily her arm draped over her face as she tried to catch her breath, let out a breathy chuckle. “I think you should answer that. It seems important.” 

Emma groaned and rested her head on Regina’s lower stomach. She pouted. “But I don’t want to.” 

Her phone rang again and Regina giggled as Emma groaned again. She had no choice but to pick it up. 

“What could you possibly want?” Emma snapped. Regina let out a laugh at her abrupt tone.

“Emma? Hey it’s Mary Margaret—I’m sorry to interrupt you on your day off it’s just…remember that credenza you asked me to drop off at your apartment?”

“Yeah? What about it?” The credenza had been fucking gorgeous. The perfect ash gray color to go with Emma’s new side tables. It was a marvel that Mary Margaret hadn’t wanted it. 

“Remember how you gave me your key so I could drop it off while you spent the day at the manor?”

Emma gave a tense sigh. “Yes Mary Margaret.” 

“Well, while I was there some guy knocked on the door with flowers. He said he was new to town, had just moved into the building and was a friend of yours. I remember you saying something about an old friend of yours unfortunately coming back into your life and I remembered that the description you’d given me of him was identical to the guy—"

“What was his Dæmon?” Emma interrupted. Her sudden change in tone startled both Mary Margaret and Regina. Regina sat up, draping the sheets around her torso as she went and pressed a hand to Emma’s back.

“What?” Mary Margaret questioned.

“Did you see his Dæmon Mary and was it a jackal?” Emma questioned in a harsh tone.

Regina began to connect the pieces and jumped from the bed to dress frantically.

“Uh, yeah I think so.”

“Thank you for telling Mary. I really appreciate it. Could you do me one more favor?”

“Yeah, anything.” Mary replied.

“Can you stay in my apartment till I come back? If you see him again don’t say anything other than the fact that you’re my roommate ok?”

“Ok. I’ll keep you updated if anything happens Emma.”

“Same here. Thanks M&M.” Emma hung up just as Regina threw on one of her sweatshirts.

“We need to go now.” Regina snapped. Emma could tell the anger and fear in her voice were not directed at her.

“Where first? The school or my apartment building?” Emma asked.

“Henry’s safe at the school. I instructed them not to let anyone other than me or you take him from the premises a while ago. If anyone comes and says they’re here to take him they’ll call me.We need to go to your apartment building see if Neal really had the nerve to move here without at least warning us first.”

Emma nodded and threw on the nearest pair of sweatpants and t-shirt she could find. As they ran down the stairway, Caliban and Dodger met them and followed close behind.

—————-

They arrived just in time. Neal stood outside the apartment building just infront of a U-Haul truck, taking out a heavy looking box. He dropped it when Regina’s voice rang out in the small parking lot.

“Hello Mr. Cassidy! I didn’t expect to see you here.” She said in a voice that was the farthest thing from friendly.

His eyes went wide. “Regina! Uh, hey. I was planning on calling you after I got the majority of my stuff out of the truck. I’m being billed by the hour and I already have to drive an hour to get it back.”

“Don’t you think it would have been smarter for you to call me before you even got the truck!” Regina growled. “What the hell were thinking?!”

Neal had the nerve to look offended. “I was thinking I’d give my son a slightly late Christmas present by moving here and getting a job full time so we can spend more time together. I applied at the body shop down the street. I got an interview Monday. What’s the problem?” 

Emma winced at his words. Dodger murmured in her mind. “ _Oh shit. Here we go again with this fuckery.”_

“You’re kidding right? Please Neal, tell me you’re fucking kidding.” Emma cried. A stress headache was building behind her eyes. And to think—the day had actually been going well. 

“I’m not kidding Em. He’s my son. I have every right to move closer to him so I can be there for him.” 

“The sentiment behind your statement is admirable Mr. Cassidy—but the problem still remains that you didn’t consult either of us! His parents! We talked about this—He may be yours by blood but he is mine and Emma’s at the end of the day. You can’t just barge in here and start a life without talking to one of us first!” Regina bellowed. 

Neal snorted. Emma and Dodger winced again. _“He’s really digging himself into a hole isn’t he.”_ Dodger said. Emma could only nod and watch as Neal fucked up more. 

“This a free country Regina. And Maine is a state in this free country where my son just so happens to live. I can move here if I want. And I’m not leaving.” Neal spat. 

“You can stay—I don’t give a shit—but you’d better not get some idea in your head that moving here means you can play Daddy. We established this already and if you’re too stupid to understand it then that’s a you problem.” He growled and took a step forward. Regina didn’t flinch, but the move prompted Emma to move forward. She got close enough to touch Neal and pushed him back before Regina or Caliban could rip him to pieces.

“You fucking idiot! I warned you! I fucking did! You’ve fucked up _so bad_ coming here without talking to anyone. This may be a free country, but you just fucked any and all chances you had of having unsupervised visits with Henry any time soon because you can’t be trustworthy for two fucking seconds! If I see you around this building or around our son I’ll rip your head off Neal. Don’t fucking test me.” Emma growled. She gave him one last shove before returning to Regina. 

She gave a shuddered sigh. “I know it’s stupid but can I stay at your place again tonight?” Emma asked. 

“Of course.” Regina softly replied. Emma pressed a kiss to her cheek before returning to the car. 

Her life couldn’t be normal for two fucking minutes huh?

—————-

It would be an understatement to say life was strained after Neal’s sudden move to Storybrooke. Regina restricted Henry’s email time to a bare minimum and refused to let Neal anywhere near Henry until they could all sit down and talk. Which would be a while. Emma still wanted nothing more than to knock his lights out. Regina was stuck somewhere between rage and the urge to commit horribly violent acts against the man. Henry was upset, but to a certain degree understood.

Neal wasn’t a horrible person. And he wasn’t the kind of guy to abuse kids. But he’d disrespected Regina by not following her rules (which were not unfair). Getting an apartment in the exact same building as Emma without telling anyone spoke of the move being more than just a planned move. He planned to input himself in the lives of both Henry and Emma. Whether they were ok with that or not. It was creepy and upsetting and just beyond stupid. And it made him very untrustworthy, especially given his history with Emma and his history in general. So, Emma stayed at the manor most nights to avoid having to see Neal.

After consulting Regina, she explained the situation to Mary Margaret and David, who were immediately understanding and wanted to help as much as possible. 

On the days Regina and Emma worked late, they kept Henry in their apartment or took him to Katherine’s. They had a system going after about a week, and after a month of no contact and no mention of the man other than Henry’s occasional pleas, Regina relented to a dinner at Granny’s with Neal. It didn’t go…great. But it wasn’t horrible. Henry tried to have the same enthusiasm as he’d had before, but he seemed to be weighed down by the unspoken tension between everyone. And Neal’s sudden over exuberant eagerness to get to be in his life seemed a little off putting. 

After a half day at school, on an off day during the week, Emma took him down to their usual ice cream spot to grab a treat for Regina. There had been another mine collapse, and the damage done had been much more extensive than before. So in addition to the stress of having to see Neal around town and having him occasionally come up to her on the street requesting time with Henry, Regina had to deal with angry miners and an angry council demanding she fix the mines faster than physically possible. 

They walked from the school to the shop and were on their way to the mayoral office when an all too familiar voice called out to them. 

“Hey guys!” 

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 

“Oh Neal—hey!” Henry called back. His smile was unsure, but he still seemed the slightest bit happy to see the man. Neal seemed happy too and as he tried to rope them into a conversation and eventually invitation out to lunch Emma had had enough. 

“We’re on our way somewhere Neal. Besides, you know Regina wouldn’t agree to us having lunch together.” 

Neal rolled his eyes. “She’s not your warden. You can be your own person.” 

“You’re right—she’s not my warden. She’s my partner and the mother of my child. Legally, she’s got more right to Henry than either of us do. Outside of the law, I have too much respect for her to just whisk Henry away to spend the afternoon with a man she doesn’t think should be around him. At least not until said man gets his stuff together.” 

“I have my shit together Emma!” 

“But you don’t! You came here uninvited! You may not see a problem with that, but I need you to realize how unsettling it must be for Regina—not to mention Henry—for a man they barely know to just show up in their town demanding to spend time with a kid who you’ve only seen a few times.” 

“I’m his father Emma!” “You’re not his father Neal. Look, I don’t have time or the energy to lecture you any more. Just, take a breather and let us cool off. Ok?” She didn’t wait for his response. Emma took Henry’s hand and began walking away. But it seemed Neal wasn’t getting the message. 

“Em—wait.” He reached out and grabbed Emma’s arm. She flinched and sent him a glare so fierce it had to have been a result of her time with Regina. He sighed at the sight. “I’m just trying to do right by him Emma.” 

“And you keep fucking it up Neal. Just lay off for a while ok?” She tried to ease his hand off her arm, but he only tightened his grip. Abruptly, he dropped her arm and his eyes went down closer to her feet. 

Aviva had transformed into a young lion. Not quite as big as Caliban, but big enough to intimidating. Neal took a step back. His face a mix between disappointment and frustration. 

Henry didn’t say a word, only gripped Emma’s hand tighter as they walked away. 

———

Things came to a head a week later.

Regina and Emma were having their usual lunch, when someone knocked on the door of the office. Regina’s eyebrow furrowed, but she didn’t seem too disturbed. “Come in.” 

Instantly her assistant, (a beautiful young woman named Jen, who had long dark hair and a doberman for a Dæmon) entered followed by Neal. Regina and Emma shot to their feet. 

“What the hell Jen?” Emma snapped. 

“It’s an emergency. An emergency concerning Henry Madam Mayor.” Jen explained quickly. She’d always been a hard ass, but in the best way possible. So both Emma and Regina trusted that she was being sincere. 

Regina stepped forward, the vein in her forehead beginning to throb as anger coursed through her. Her fiery eyes trained only on Neal. 

“What have you done?” She growled. 

“It was an accident I swear I didn’t mean to—”

“What the hell did you do to my son?!” Regina roared. Caliban was stalking forward, his ears flicking in an anxious telltale but his mouth was open in a hiss. Emma took a step forward as well, and placed a calming hand on Regina’s wrist.

“I—I made a mistake. I wanted to spend some time with Henry and thought I could take him fishing. There’s this spot a few miles outside of town. I knew he had a half day so I caught him walking home from school and offered him a ride home. I didn’t tell him about the fishing and when he saw the town line he got upset. He ran into the woods and I looked for him for as long as I could but I think he ran into some big structure or something.”

Emma’s heart seized. The one day Mary Margaret, David and Katherine were too busy to watch the kid. She knew the dangers that could be waiting for Henry in those woods. She’d studied the woods for training when she’d first become a deputy and knew the only structure looking thing was—

“Oh God.” Jen whispered. “The mines. He ran into the mines.” 

Emma’s heart nearly shattered. The mines were as unstable as possible right now. They were roped off for a reason, but Henry didn’t know that. Most of the kids were too afraid to go into the mines because of some old wives tales but he was a curious kid. And if he’d felt threatened enough he would have run to the nearest place he thought no adult would go. 

Regina nearly crumpled to the ground. Emma caught her just before she hit the ground.

“Regina? Regina, you’re ok. It’s ok. We’re gonna find him.”

“But he—he could be dead! He could have fallen into the holes and he could have.” She let out a strangled cry at the thought. Emma’s eyes burned with tears. Then, the walk talky on Emma’s hip went off on the emergency frequency.

“Copy all available deputies needed to assist in blocking off the mines. There has been another collapse. I repeat there has been another collapse and it has affected the infrastructure of the woods. Parts of the soil have caved in and—

The rest of the transmission was cut off by Regina’s devastated wail. 

——-——-

They rushed to the site as soon as possible. There was already a group from the sheriff’s department standing at the mouth of the mines' opening. David stood in the back of them, clutching an all too familiar back pack.Regina ran to him. “Have you found him? Please tell me you found him outside the mines!” She croaked. She’d silently sobbed the entire ride over. Emma wasn’t in much better shape. She’d been crying as well and the guilt that had been building in her chest was incomparable to even child birth. If Henry got hurt because of Neal…

“I’m sorry Madam Mayor…we haven’t. The mines didn’t just collapse further down, they collapsed at the entrance as well. The only opening is too small for any of our Dæmons to fit through. And even if they could fit we don’t think we’d be able to get far enough inside to find him without hurting ourselves.”

Behind Emma could see the little opening. She could that it was just big enough for a house cat. Regina’s hand tightened in hers. She was thinking the same thing A light flickered behind her eyes. A spark of hope entered Emma’s chest.

“Let me see it.” Regina demanded. David didn’t hesitate, but as she was brought closer Graham gave him a confused look.

“We understand you’re upset Madam Mayor—we do. We’re doing everything we can to clear the exit as fast as we can—”

“You’re running out of time. If Henry’s down there, trapped somewhere he doesn’t have unlimited air. He needs to be found as soon as possible. I think I have a way—let me see the hole.” All of the deputies besides Emma looked at her Dæmon. It was obvious they were thinking of how nonsensical her plea sounded. Her Dæmon was the largest among them, and no matter how much pushed his actions would most likely only result in further collapsing. If Henry wasn’t already injured, a huge creature like Caliban pushing around would make sure of it. And maybe even injure Regina in the process. 

“Are you sure—”

“God dammit—I’m sure! Now if you’re not going to show it to me, move out of my way!” She snapped. Caliban gave a rage filled roar that pushed everyone back. 

Emma kept hold of Regina’s hand as they pushed past the deputies. As they came closer she spoke in Regina’s ear. “Calm down love. You’ll need as clear a had as possible to get anything of substance done.” Regina gave a small nod.

Just near the ground, there was an opening just as David said. Not big enough for any human or any of Dæmons that were fully grown to get through….but cats had a way of squeezing through the tiniest places. If he maneuvered carefully and switched between forms to shift rocks he might make it. Regina kneeled beside the opening slowly, Emma following her lead. She looked down at it with a mix of dread and determination on her face. She and Caliban shared a look. When they came to a decision—one Emma knew for sure without having to ask—they all stood.

“Clear all of your deputies from this immediate area. I know I sound ridiculous but it is in all your best interests you leave. Just until I can begin my…process. All of you but Deputy Swan.”

Sheriff Humbert’s eyebrows furrowed. “Madam Mayor we can’t do that. Whatever you’re planning on doing please just—”

“I’m not going anywhere! My son is in there!” Neal interrupted with a yell. He tried to push past the deputies holding him back to reach Regina and argue more for his place in Henry life. Emma let out a growl and stalked towards him but before she could reach him Regina beat her to the punch. Quite literally. She wasted no time in laying him out with a solid punch to the cheek. 

“Stop acting like a fucking child!” She yelled. “You’re the reason Henry’s stuck in that hell hole, possibly injured and possibly even dead! We don’t have time for this! Stay back or I promise you— I’ll keep you back.” Regina growled. Neal looked like he wanted to argue, but one glare from Regina and one growl from Caliban shut him up. Regina turned back to Graham. 

He gave her an apologetic look. He held his hands up surrender.“I’m sorry Madam Mayor. But—it’s against protocol for us to clear the area and leave civilians so close to a dangerous site like this. Please—”

“Fine! Just,” She sighed defeatedly. “fine. Stay there if you must. But don’t say a word. And don’t interfere no matter what you see—understand?” Emma could see in the backs of her eyes the fear and anxiety running there. She tried to beas much of a comforting presence as possible, but right now no matter what she did—she felt powerless.

Graham gave a hesitant nod and motioned for his men to clear out. Some stayed put while others obeyed. But Regina payed no attention to them as she walked closer to the entrance and kneeled down beside it. Emma came behind her, shielding her as best she could from the prying eyes of every Deputy the department had.

She couldn’t imagine how exposed Regina must have felt. How powerless. Because regardless of how she felt they both knew it was necessary for her to do this. If Caliban could locate Henry in his smaller cat form and bring him back up to the surface in his larger form he’d save the time and resources of the town. But, if he failed Regina would never be looked at the same.

Regina locked eyes with Emma. It was as if she’d been reading Emma’s mind.

“I have to at least try.” She said quietly. Emma nodded, and ripped off her Deputy’s jacket. It was still winter after all, and in all the huff making their way to the mines Regina had forgotten her coat. Emma pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“I know you do. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.” Emma promised. And she meant it with every fiber of her being. 

Regina took a deep breath. Caliban came in front of her, standing right in front of the entrance. Regina grabbed his fur and pulled him close, whispering something into his ear. He gave a growl of agreement. Then, before Emma’s eyes as he’d done so many times before, transformed into the slightly unsettling but still adorable form of a black house cat. 

There were a sea of gasps behind them. They went ignored. Before Caliban entered the entrance, Emma caught his attention. “Go bring our boy home.” She simply said. The cat gave a small meow, before descending into the darkness of the collapsed mines. 

———-

The field outside of the mines was dead silent. Most present were shocked to silence, as they watched the mayor sit beside the entrance pale faced, with a bleeding nose and an all around weakened disposition. Most of all though, they watched the empty spot beside her. The spot where Caliban should have been. Emma sat beside Regina, wrapping her arm around Regina’s petite shoulders. The woman hadn’t stopped trembling since Caliban had entered the caves. The farther he got, the more she trembled. And the more nauseas Emma became. A few of her fellow deputies had gagged a few feet away as the reality of Regina’s ‘gift’ hit them.

She couldn’t exactly blame them. It was like a horrormovie come to life. Something beyond unsettling. Like seeing someone without their head, still walking around as if nothing were wrong.

Emma had gotten used to it to a certain extent, as she knew whatever Caliban and Regina were capable of wasn’t a result of something they did. But the others weren’t as understanding. They all stared in horror as Regina closed her eyes and focused on Caliban’s path towards Henry. The mistrust that had been ever present before was increased tenfold now.

Even Graham was standing as far away as he dared from Regina. Neal was looking down at her in outright disgust. But none of the weighted glares bothered Regina. She was focused, even as Caliban’s distance pained her. She let out a gasp of pain. Emma held her close.

“What’s wrong?” Emma questioned.

“Nothing, he just got a little far. He can smell him now. I think he’s getting close.” Regina responded. Her voice was heavy and labored. She was still shaking, but suddenly let out a cough. Blood spilled from her mouth. Emma panicked, her mind conjuring up images of Caliban falling from a great height. The resulting puff of Dust and Regina’s limp body. Regina put those images to rest with a squeeze of Emma’s hand. “We’re fine. He just went farther. He says Henry’s scent is getting stronger. I might look like a wreck for a few minutes as he goes further out.” She warned.

A wreck was an understatement. It was tortureto just sit and watch as Regina writhed in pain the farther Caliban went underground. A few of the Deputies had run from the site because of it. Graham had his back turned but David remained. He left for only a moment to grab a water bottle, but returned quickly. Neal stayed under the watchful eye of Deputies Fa and Locksley. His eyes flicked between Regina and the entrance.

Minutes seemed to stretch into hours. Every second Henry wasn’t confirmed to be safe and sound was painful. But out of nowhere, Regina sagged against Emma. She was looked less pale.

“Did Caliban find him?” Emma asked, hope filling her voice. Regina could only give a nod. Then, out of nowhere, the sound of rocks shifting echoed. Two Dæmons, one a little black house cat and the other a ferret, crawled out. A large rock fell, creating an opening big enough for a small child to get out.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Emma’s world finally pieced itself back together.

“Moms!” Henry yelled. Regina pushed past her exhaustion and ran to her son, pulling him into her arms. She sobbed as she kissed his forehead and dusty hair. She whispered words of encouragement and comfort to her only child.Emma ran towards them shortly after, pulling both of them as close to her as physically possible.

Henry cried into his mother’s shoulder, his words coming out as little more than whimpers. “I was so scared! I’m so sorry I ran into the mines I just didn’t know what to do! I didn’t want him to take me and—

“It’s ok _mijo_. It’s ok.” Regina gripped Henry’s face with her scarred hands. The familiar texture soothed the boy. “You’re safe now _mijo_. You’re safe.”

————-

Good things were never meant to come easily. Paradise wasn’t acquired quickly. 

Emma wasn’t sure what would come next. Wasn’t sure what the fate of her little family held but there was one thing she knew for certain: as long as Henry and Regina were at her side—she’d be fine. 

[My Tumblr](https://moonlitmidnight-1.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the end was kind of cliff hangery but I couldn't think of any other way to end it that didn't make it seem so final. I've come to realize that this universe is far from done. I'm a little scared about continuing but I already have ideas and I know I won't be able to hold back from sharing them for long. The next one will be from Regina's POV I think. We haven't seen that yet. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and commenting! I can't express how much each comment meant to me, even if I didn't respond I love them all. If you have any thing you want to see from this universe or in general I'm open. I'll be on my tumblr more now that I won't be writing everyday (for now) so...yeah. Thank you ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> I have no beta so all mistakes are mine. Don't be afraid to point them out!


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